Turkey has accepted Israel's offer of foreign aid in the wake of an earthquake in the east of the country.

Following the disaster, Israeli President Shimon Peres telephoned his Turkish counterpart, President Abdullah Gul and offered to send search-and-rescue teams, food, medicine, medical staff and equipment.

Israel was among the first countries to offer support to Turkey following the devastating earthquake in the east of the country.

The death toll from the disaster has reached above 200 people and there are fears it could rise significantly.

Holocaust survivors have reacted furiously to comments by the Turkish Prime Minister suggesting that Israel uses the Holocaust as an excuse to kill Palestinians.

The Israeli Prime Minister also condemned Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his remarks, made during an appearance on Turkish television.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was received with mixed feelings in Cairo this week on the first leg of his Middle East tour.

While his criticism of Israel was accepted with enthusiasm, the Egyptian government and the Muslim Brotherhood were anxious to make it clear that they would decide their own policies independently.

Players for Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv have arrived in Istanbul for a Europa League match.

The team was greeted by more than 2,500 policemen, and throughout their stay in Turkey players will be under police protection.

Israeli soldiers who play for the Maccabi Tel Aviv team will not be able to play in Turkey next week, following the breakdown in diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Despite the political dispute, the match against the Bestikas team for the Europa League is set to proceed.