Turkey says trade halt with Israel will continue until permanent Gaza ceasefire

Turkey’s trade minister says a trade halt with Israel, announced yesterday, will continue until a permanent ceasefire in Gaza is secured as well as unhindered humanitarian aid flow to the region.

In a speech in Istanbul this morning announcing April trade figures, Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat says Israel’s “uncompromising attitude” and the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted Turkey to halt trade yesterday.

The Turkish Trade Ministry said yesterday that the step was the “second phase” of measures against Israel, in protest of the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, sparked by the terror group’s October 7 massacre.

Turkey has been one of the harshest critics of Israel during the war against Hamas, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan branding Israel a “terrorist state.”

The two countries had a trade volume of $6.8 billion in 2023.