Turkey on Friday suspended all imports and exports to Israel following the ongoing military action in Gaza.
A Turkish Trade Ministry statement said “export and import transactions in relation to Israel have been stopped, covering all products.”
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.”
Earlier on Thursday, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused Turkey of blocking Israeli imports and exports from Turkish ports.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “is breaking agreements by blocking ports for Israeli imports and exports,” Katz wrote on the social platform X.
Katz said he had instructed officials to “immediately engage with all relevant parties in the government to create alternatives for trade with Turkey, focusing on local production and imports from other countries.”
Erdogan’s government, which suffered major setbacks in local elections in March, is faced with intense pressure at home to halt trade with Israel.
AP