Ankara has strongly opposed the Jewish state’s military campaign in Gaza
Türkiye has severed all commercial and economic ties with Israel, as well as closing its airspace to some Israeli flights, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has announced. The two countries have been at odds for months over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, with Türkiye accusing the country of committing genocide.
In an address to the national parliament on Friday, Fidan said Türkiye has “completely cut off our trade with Israel” and “closed our ports to Israeli ships.”
“We are not allowing container ships carrying weapons and ammunition to Israel to enter our ports, and airplanes to go into our airspace,” he added.
Fidan also said Turkish-flagged ships are barred from calling at Israeli ports, and Israeli vessels are barred from Turkish ports.
A Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters that the flight restrictions only target official Israeli flights and planes with weapons or ammunition, not routine transit by commercial carriers.
The agency also reported that Turkish port authorities are now informally requiring shipping agents to attest that vessels are not linked to Israel and are not carrying military or hazardous cargo bound for the country.
However, an Israeli official told the Jerusalem Post that Türkiye had “already announced severing economic relations with Israel in the past, and the relations continued,” apparently referring to Ankara’s suspension of imports and exports in May.
The minister’s comments are the latest indication of deteriorating relations between Türkiye and Israel, which have been strained by the war in Gaza. The conflict began with a surprise attack by Hamas on Israel in October 2023, prompting a retaliatory operation against the Palestinian enclave.
Türkiye has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, which Israel denies. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “the butcher of Gaza,” at one point suggesting that the scope of his war crimes surpassed those committed by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
In 2023, Türkiye recalled its ambassador from Israel, and in 2024, it severed all diplomatic ties.
