Turkey is the first country ever to completely end trade relations with Israel. Neither container ships nor aircraft are allowed to cross Turkish territory. Ankara is reacting to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, according to Foreign Minister Fidan.

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 enter our ports, nor do we allow aircraft to fly into our airspace," said Hakan Fidan in a parliamentary session on the Gaza conflict in Ankara. No other country has completely severed its trade relations with Israel.

The measures are part of a comprehensive package of diplomatic, legal and economic measures introduced by Ankara in response to the Gaza conflict, Fidan added.

Türkiye 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 enter Israeli ports."

Turkey has repeatedly described the war in Gaza as a "genocide" against the Palestinian population and called for an immediate ceasefire. At the same time, the country has intensified 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 this unprecedented massacre, the terrorists killed around 1,200 people and abducted more than 250 others as hostages in the Gaza Strip. Since then, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed. This figure does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.