A Turkish court issued arrest warrants yesterday for four former Israeli military commanders who are on trial in absentia over the 2010 killing of nine Turks on a Gaza-bound aid ship, Turkish media reports said.

The move came after months of negotiations between Turkey and Israel to end a diplomatic crisis over the Israeli commando raid on the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship challenging Israel's naval blockade of Palestinian-run Gaza Strip in 2010.

Eight Turks and a Turkish-American died during the operation and a Turkish man, Suleyman Ugur Soylemez, died in hospital on Friday night.

The court ordered the arrest of former chief of general staff Gabi Ashkenazi, ex-navy commander Eliezer Marom, ex-air force commander Amos Yadlin and ex-head of air force intelligence Avishay Levi, the newspaper Hurriyet said.