Turkey’s Trade Ministry has stopped all imports and exports to Israel.

“Export and import transactions related to Israel have been stopped, covering all products. Turkey will strictly and decisively implement these new measures until the Israeli Government allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza,” a statement by the Trade Ministry announced on Thursday.

In April, Turkey began limiting exports of 54 types of products to Israel, including aluminum, steel, construction products, and chemical fertilizers. Israel retaliated by announcing its own trade barriers. According to the Turkish Statistical Institute, bilateral trade between the two countries in 2023 amounted to $6.8 billion, with Turkish exports comprising 76% of the total amount.

In response, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday of ignoring international trade agreements.

“This is how a dictator behaves, disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen, and ignoring international trade agreements,” Katz wrote on X. He also vowed to take parallel measures against Turkey, adding that Israel will “emerge with a strong and daring economy” by focusing on local production and imports from other countries.

As per Bloomberg, Erdogan’s government, which suffered significant setbacks in local elections in March, is facing mounting domestic pressure to cut ties with Israel completely. Turkey announced this week that the country would soon join the legal case filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). South Africa has accused Israel of violating international law and committing genocide while Hamas continues to use Arab civilians as human shields.'”