Locals and officials search for survivors at a collapsed building, after a strong earthquake struck the Aegean Sea on Friday and was felt in both Greece and Turkey, where some buildings collapsed in the coastal province of Izmir, Oct. 30, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Tuncay Dersinlioglu.

Israel was quick to offer humanitarian aid to Turkey on Friday following a deadly earthquake there in which at least a dozen people were killed.

In a tweet, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said he had instructed the IDF to ready itself to give emergency assistance to Turkey.

According to Gantz, IDF officials had already spoken with the Turkish military attaché in Israel about the matter.

“The State of Israel and the security forces will always reach out to provide humanitarian aid to harmed civilians anywhere, this is our moral duty,” Gantz declared.

הוריתי לצה”ל להיערך למתן סיוע חירום לטורקיה. נציגי הצבא כבר שוחחו עם הנספח הצבאי הטורקי בארץ. מדינת ישראל וכוחות הביטחון תמיד יושיטו את ידם לסייע הומניטארית לאזרחים שנפגעים בכל מקום, זאת חובתנו המוסרית.

— בני גנץ – Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) October 30, 2020

The IDF itself tweeted, “Under the direction of @Israel_MOD, Israel has offered humanitarian aid to Turkey, which would include an IDF delegation following the earthquake that struck Izmir, Turkey.”

Under the direction of @Israel_MOD, Israel has offered humanitarian aid to Turkey, which would include an IDF delegation following the earthquake that struck Izmir, Turkey.

Bu zor zamanlarda, yardım için güçlü bir el uzatacağız.

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— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 30, 2020

The Israeli Embassy in Ankara said, “We extend our condolences to the families of the victims who lost their lives in the disastrous earthquake in İzmir, which is the twin city of Tel Aviv, and we wish a speedy recovery to the wounded. Israel is ready to send humanitarian aid to Turkey in case of need.”

We extend our condolences to the families of the victims who lost their lives in the disasterous #earthquake in #İzmir, which is the twin city of Tel Aviv, and we wish a speedy recovery to the wounded. #Israel is ready to send humanitarian aid to #Turkey in case of need.#deprem

— İsrail Türkiye’de (@IsraelinTurkey) October 30, 2020

Israel has a long history of dispatching emergency response teams to disaster zones around the world, including Turkey in 1999 after an earthquake there that had a death toll of more than 17,ooo people.