Turkey reportedly stopped all trade with Israel due to its actions in Gaza, leading to strong criticism from Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz towards Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The move came after Bloomberg reported that Ankara had significantly increased restrictions first imposed last month, halting all imports and exports as of Thursday, although Turkey has not officially announced this suspension. The conditions necessary for trade to resume remain unclear, deepening tensions between the two nations, which have deteriorated since the Gaza crisis began.
The conflict escalated after Hamas militants killed approximately 1,136 Israeli citizens on October 7 and took around 250 people hostage. In response, Israel sent soldiers into Gaza and conducted airstrikes, resulting in the deaths of over 34,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Turkey's trade ministry initially announced restrictions on exports to Israel in early April, halting the export of iron and steel products and construction equipment. In 2023, the two countries had a trade volume of $6.8 billion.
Katz accused Erdoğan of "breaking agreements by blocking ports for Israeli imports and exports," likening his actions to those of a dictator. He criticized Erdoğan for disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen and ignoring international trade agreements. Katz also stated that Israel would attempt to replace any lost products through local production and imports from other countries. Last month, Katz criticized Erdoğan for publicizing his meeting in Istanbul with the head of Hamas's politburo, Ismail Haniyeh.
