Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will visit Israel at the end of May after the Turkish government took steps to curb the activities of the Palestinian group Hamas.

Alon Bar, political director of Israel's Foreign Ministry, is in Turkey to plan a 26 May visit with Turkish officials, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Cavusoglu's trip was planned after Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Turkey in March. But Israeli officials said that normalization of relations with Turkey should not be rushed and that the process should be carried out in stages.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking to establish relations with key regional countries such as Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to end Turkey's regional isolation.

A major stumbling block to restoring relations has been Erdogan's strong support for Hamas, which Israel, the United States and the European Union recognize as a terrorist organization. Erdogan met with senior Hamas officials and allowed the group to open offices in Turkey.

Turkey has tightened restrictions on Hamas leaders and activists, deporting dozens and banning others from entering the country, The New Arab reported, citing senior Hamas officials.

Erdogan's efforts to normalize relations with Israel and other countries come at a time of economic problems in Turkey - the lira lost 44 percent of its value last year - and ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections due in June 2023.