United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday hailed a reconciliation agreement between Israel and Turkey as a "sign of stability" in the Middle East.

Ban, on a visit to Israel ahead the end of his term this year, welcomed the announcement Monday on the normalization of relations between the two countries.

"It is an important sign of stability to the region," Ban said ahead of his meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in Jerusalem. "It is a symbol of hope."

The agreement normalizes relations between Israel and Turkey, nearly six years after an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound Turkish flotilla killed 10 Turkish pro-Palestinian activists in 2010.

Under the deal, Turkey will send humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinian enclave, while Israel will pay 20 million U.S. dollars in compensation, and the two countries agree to begin negotiations on a deal to sell Israeli gas to Turkey. Endit

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