Turkiye confirmed it would halt all trade with Israel until the country allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza after two officials familiar with the matter said the pause went into effect earlier Thursday.
Turkiye decided to expand last month’s restriction on some Turkish exports to Israel due to the “worsening humanitarian tragedy in Palestine”, the Trade Ministry said in a statement, adding that work was underway to make sure that Palestinians were not adversely affected.
The move adds to already high-running tensions between the once-close allies over the war in Gaza as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan steps up criticism of the Jewish state and tries to consolidate support among conservative voters at home.
“The second phase of the measures taken at the state level has been started, and export and import transactions related to Israel have been suspended to cover all products,” according to the statement. “Turkiye will firmly and decisively implement these new measures until the government of Israel allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
Trade between the countries was worth $6.8 billion in 2023, of which 76% was Turkish exports, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute. Israel’s imports from Turkiye totaled $4.6 billion in 2023 making it Israel’s sixth largest source for imports, according to Israel’s Central Statistics Bureau. The main imports from Turkiye were steel, machinery, minerals and fuels as well as fresh produce and food products.
