The massive 7.2 magnitude earthquake in eastern Turkey has reopened the lines of communication between the governments of Turkey and Israel for humanitarian reasons.

Turkish officials say the death toll from Sunday's earthquake now stands at 523. The prime minister's center for crisis and emergency management further reported 1,650 people were injured and a total of 185 were rescued from the rubble so far.

To attend to the victims of the earthquake, President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have spoken on the phone with their Israeli counterparts, Shimon Peres and Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Todayszaman.com.

As this developed, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has denied reports that Turkey initially rejected international offers for aid. He said Turkey has never considered the aid offers with "prejudice."

"Political conditions remain," Davutoğlu said, referring to Turkey's demands for restoring ties with Israel, setting aside the two countries' cooperative efforts now to help the earthquake victims.

Devastating scenes in the aftermath of the powerful quake, including the miraculous rescue of 2-week-old Baby Azra after 38 hours, are seen in the photos in this report.

Earthquake Management