Turkey is set to impose trade restrictions on Israel starting Tuesday on a range of products including cement and steel and iron construction materials in response to Israel’s war on Gaza.
The Turkish Ministry of Trade said on Tuesday it will no longer send to Israel items of 54 categories spanning iron and steel products, jet fuel, construction equipment, machines, cement, granites, chemicals, pesticides and bricks.
According to the statement, the decision would remain in place until Israel declares a ceasefire and allow uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The statement reads, “Israel continues to flagrantly violate international law and ignores the international community.
“This decision will remain in place until Israel declares a ceasefire immediately and allows adequate and uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Recall that more than 33,000 people have been killed in Israel’s six month war no Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with many countries expressing outrage over the death toll and humanitarian crisis arising from the Israeli attacks and siege.
Israel launched its assault in response to Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, which killed 1,139 people, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on Israeli statistics.
However, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz hit back at Turkey’s announcement saying Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is “once again sacrificing the economic interests of the people of Turkey for his support of the Hamas murderers in Gaza”.
He added Israel would take “measures that will harm the Turkish economy”, including banning some Turkish imports, asking United States-based organisations to stop investing in Turkey, and calling “our friends in the American Congress” to impose sanctions on Turkey.
eanwhile, this new measures is coming a day after Turkey said Israel blocked its attempt to airdrop aid to Gaza.
