Turkey halts all trade with Israel over worsening Gaza situation

ANKARA: Turkey announced halting all trade with Israel citing the country’s ongoing military action in Gaza and vowed to continue to impose the measures until the Israeli government allows the flow of humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza.

A Turkish Trade Ministry statement said, “Exports and imports to and from Israel have been suspended, covering all products.” Turkish officials would coordinate with Palestinian authorities to ensure that Palestinians are not affected by the suspension of imports and exports, the ministry said.

“Turkey will strictly and decisively implement these new measures until the Israeli Government allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza,” Turkey’s trade ministry said in a statement. The two countries had a trade volume of $6.8 billion in 2023.

The ministry described the step as the “second phase” of measures against Israel, adding that the steps would remain in force until Israel “allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”

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Last month, Turkey — a staunch critic of Israel’s military actions — announced that it was restricting exports of 54 types of products to Israel, including aluminum, steel, construction products, and chemical fertilizers. Israel responded by also announcing trade barriers.

Earlier on Thursday, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused Turkey of blocking Israeli imports and exports from Turkish ports. Katz said he instructed the foreign ministry to work to create alternatives for trade with Turkey, focusing on local production and imports from other countries.