Turkey Stops All Trade with Israel Over Gaza Crisis
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Raven Ruma
- . May 3, 2024
- . Update: May 3, 2024 6:59 pm
Turkey has stopped all trade with Israel because of the very bad situation in Gaza. Turkey says there is a “worsening humanitarian tragedy” happening to the Palestinian people in Gaza.
On Thursday, Turkey’s trade ministry announced they have halted all exports and imports involving Israel. This covers every product traded between the two countries. Turkey said it will enforce these new trade restrictions strongly until Israel allows sufficient humanitarian aid to flow freely into Gaza.
The decision by Turkey has angered Israel. Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticized Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the trade halt. Katz accused Erdogan of acting like a dictator with no regard for Turkish businesses or international trade agreements.
Tensions between Turkey and Israel have escalated since the crisis began in Gaza in October. At that time, Hamas militants killed over 1,100 Israeli civilians and took around 250 hostages. Israel then sent troops into Gaza and has carried out bombing campaigns, killing over 34,000 Palestinians according to Hamas officials.
Previously, in early April, Turkey had already stopped some exports to Israel including iron, steel, and construction equipment. The total trade between the two nations was around $6.8 billion in 2023.
The new full trade embargo shows how unhappy Turkey is with Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Aid groups report the humanitarian situation in Gaza has become catastrophic, which Turkey views as an overreaction by Israel’s forces.
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Israel, however, says it must act to destroy Hamas’s leadership after their deadly attacks on Israeli civilians. Both sides have taken hardline positions, making prospects for diplomacy or a ceasefire appear unlikely currently.
The trade halt deepens the rift between the two countries, which were previously close regional allies. Katz vowed Israel would try to make up for any lost Turkish imports and exports from other sources and local production.
