Palestinians supporters in Gaza
Turkey announced on Tuesday that it would impose trade restrictions on Israel due to the war in Gaza, covering a wide range of products such as cement, steel, and iron construction supplies.
The latest steps come a day after Turkey said Israel had thwarted its attempt to airdrop aid to Gaza.
On Social media, the trade ministry wrote, “This decision will remain in place until Israel declares a ceasefire immediately and allows adequate and uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza”.
It attached a list of 54 items with export prohibitions.
On Monday, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan vowed retaliation against Israel for preventing Turkey’s air force from airdropping aid to Gaza, saying it will be carried out step by step and without delay.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan authorized the export measures.
“We will continue our support until the bloodshed in Gaza stops and our Palestinian brothers reach a free Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital”, Erdogan said in a greeting for Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim feast that marks the end of Ramadan, on Tuesday.
Israel’s foreign ministry accused Turkey of unilaterally violating the trade agreements with Israel and stated that it would adopt the necessary steps against it.
Turkey has become one of the outspoken critics of Israel’s war in Gaza, with Erdogan calling Israel a terrorist state.
His accusations against Israel include allegations that it is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza in retaliation to Hamas militants’ extraordinary October 7 attack.
According to Israeli data, the attack killed 1,170 individuals, the majority of them civilians, while Israel’s military operation has killed at least 33,207 people in Gaza as per the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Erdogan has defended Hamas, which Israel, the United States, and the European Union regard as a terrorist outfit, as a liberation group.
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