Turkey excluded Israel from a planned NATO military exercise partly because of criticism of Israel's Gaza offensive nearly a year ago.

The Turkish government decided to change the list of participating countries and exclude Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces, CNN reported.

As a result, the NATO exercise was effectively scrapped, although a US embassy representative said it was only postponed.

"We hope that the situation in Gaza will be improved, that the situation will be back to the diplomatic track. And that will create a new atmosphere in Turkish-Israeli relations as well. But in the existing situation, of course, we are criticizing this approach, the Israeli approach", asked why Turkey excluded Israel from the exercise, Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, said

Earlier, the Turkish foreign ministry said "a technical matter," not politics, prompted the delay of the Anatolian Eagle exercise.

Instead of the NATO exercise, Davutoglu said Turkey would be conducting "a national military exercise now after consultations with all the parties involved".

The Anatolian Eagle exercise is held every few years to boost international aerial cooperation. It was to run from October 12-23.

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