Guwahati: Turkey has fully halted trade with Israel and barred Israeli aircraft from its airspace in response to the ongoing war in Gaza, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced on Friday during a televised speech to parliament.
Fidan declared that Turkey had not only suspended all bilateral trade but had also closed its ports to Israeli ships and blocked Turkish-flagged vessels from docking in Israel.
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“We have taken decisive action. No Israeli ship can enter our ports, and Turkish ships are no longer allowed to dock in Israel,” he told lawmakers.
He also confirmed that Turkey is denying access to any vessel carrying weapons or military supplies bound for Israel. “We won’t permit military cargo shipments destined for Israel to pass through our ports or airspace,” Fidan emphasized.
The diplomatic fallout between Turkey and Israel has deepened over the course of the Gaza conflict. Ankara has accused Tel Aviv of committing atrocities against Palestinians, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan previously likening Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler. Turkey has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza.
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Although Ankara initially ended direct trade with Israel in May 2024, it has now further escalated measures by formally closing air and sea routes. The two nations had recorded bilateral trade worth $7 billion in 2023.
Israel’s largest shipping company, ZIM, reported on Monday that Turkish authorities had enforced new regulations as of August 22, barring any Israeli-linked vessels, whether owned, operated, or managed, from entering Turkish ports. The restrictions also apply to ships carrying military cargo bound for Israel, according to the company.
In a reciprocal move, Turkey has also prohibited Turkish-flagged ships from entering Israeli ports.
The diplomatic freeze extends beyond trade. In November 2024, Turkey denied Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s plane entry into its airspace for a planned visit to an international summit in Azerbaijan. President Erdogan later justified the move, saying, “Turkey must take a principled stance on such issues.” Following the denial, Netanyahu canceled his own trip to Azerbaijan.
While Turkish officials continue to claim that all official trade with Israel has ceased amid the Gaza war, critics within Turkey have raised doubts. Opposition figures allege that indirect trade may still be taking place, particularly via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, which runs through Turkey and carries Azerbaijani oil that could be reaching Israel.
Despite these claims, Ankara maintains that it will not resume any form of cooperation with Israel until hostilities in Gaza come to a complete halt.