(CNN) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized Friday to Turkey for a 2010 raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, both nations said, signaling a potential major thaw after three years of chilly relations between the two key Middle East nations. The Israeli leader phoned his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while sitting with U.S. President Barack Obama in a trailer on a Tel Aviv airport tarmac. In the call -- which Turkey's foreign minister said lasted for nearly 30 minutes -- Netanyahu acknowledged "operational mistakes" during the raid, which ended with eight Turks and an American of Turkish origin dead.
@highlight
NEW: The breakthrough follows 3 years of tough negotiations, a Turkish official says
@highlight
NEW: Turkey's leader talked with Egyptian, Qatari counterparts before Netanyahu, he adds
@highlight
Israel cites "mistakes" in a 2010 raid on a Gaza-bound ship that killed 9, vows "compensation"
@highlight
Obama says he and Israel's Netanyahu "agreed the moment was right" to call Turkey
"In light of @placeholder's investigation into the incident, which pointed out several operational mistakes, Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed Israel's apology to the Turkish people for any mistakes that might have led to loss of life or injury and agreed to conclude an agreement on compensation/nonliability," the Israeli government said.
@placeholder only said they "agreed to conclude an agreement on compensation/nonliability."