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On April 16, 2024, thousands of new vehicles will pass through Istanbul’s Haydarpasa Port.
CNN —
Turkey has suspended all import and export trade with Israel in protest of the Gaza war.
“All Israel-related import and export trade, including all products, has been suspended,” Turkey’s trade ministry said in a statement on Thursday. “Turkey will strictly and resolutely implement these new measures until the Israeli government allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
A senior Israeli government official accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of violating the trade agreement “by blockading Israeli ports of entry and exit.”
“This is the behavior of a dictator who ignores the interests of Turkish people and businessmen and disregards international trade agreements,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said. Post to X Thursday.
Trade between Turkey and Israel was $7 billion last year, according to official data. Israel is among Turkey’s top 20 export destinations, purchasing $5.4 billion worth of goods and services. Turkey’s main exports to Israel are steel, cars, plastics, electrical equipment and machinery, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, Turkish imports from Israel reached $1.6 billion.
Katz added that he had instructed the director-general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry to “immediately consult with relevant government departments to develop alternatives to trade with Turkey, with an emphasis on local production and imports from other countries.”
“Israel will emerge with a strong and bold economy,” he wrote.
Thursday’s measures by Turkey follow export restrictions to Israel imposed last month after Turkey’s foreign minister accused Israel of refusing a request for airdrops of aid to Gaza.
In a statement at the time, the Ministry of Trade condemned Israel’s actions that deny Gaza people access to “the most basic food, medicine and supplies” and said it had banned the export of 54 items, including those that could be used for military purposes or construction.
Turkey is one of the largest donors to Gaza, according to Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Gaza Strip.
Israel launched a military offensive into Gaza on October 7 after Hamas, the militant group that rules the strip, killed at least 1,200 people inside Israel and abducted more than 250. After more than 200 days of war, Israeli bombing has reduced neighborhoods to rubble and the threat of famine looms.
As of May 1, more than 34,600 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to the Gaza Strip’s Ministry of Health. About seven in 10 of the victims are women and children, the ministry said. CNN does not have access to international media and cannot independently verify the figures.
Hamas praised Turkey’s move to halt trade with Israel.
“We highly appreciate the recent decisions taken by the Republic of Turkey to support the Palestinian people suffering from a horrific genocide, including the suspension of trade with the occupying power,” Hamas said in a statement on Friday.
Eyad Kurdi in Gaziantep, Turkey, contributed to this report.
