Politics Foreign Minister: Turkey breaks off trade relations with Israel
According to its foreign minister, Turkey has severed all trade relations with Israel and closed its airspace to Israeli aircraft. Turkey "does not allow container ships transporting weapons and ammunition to Israel to call at our ports, nor do we allow airplanes to fly into our airspace", said Hakan Fidan in a parliamentary session on the Gaza conflict in Ankara. No other country had completely severed its trade relations with Israel.
29.08.2025, 18:23
SDA
The measures were part of a comprehensive package of diplomatic, legal and economic measures introduced by Ankara in response to the Gaza conflict, Fidan added.
Turkey has repeatedly described the war in the Gaza Strip as "genocide"
The country had previously announced that it would restrict trade with Israel, stating that no trade had taken place since May 2024. According to the Turkish Statistical Institute, Turkey's trade with Israel amounted to seven billion US dollars in 2023.
Fidan said: "We have completely stopped trade with Israel. We have closed our ports to Israeli ships. We do not allow Turkish ships to call at Israeli ports."
Turkey has repeatedly described the war in the Gaza Strip as "genocide" against the Palestinian population and called for an immediate ceasefire. At the same time, the country has stepped up its efforts to exert international pressure on Israel.
The Gaza war was triggered by the attack on Israel by Hamas and other Islamist groups on October 7, 2023. In the unprecedented massacre, the terrorists killed around 1,200 people and abducted more than 250 others as hostages in the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed since then. The figure does not distinguish between civilians and fighters.
