Turkey suspends trade with Israel

Turkey has suspended all trade with Israel over its Gaza offensive, citing the "worsening humanitarian tragedy" in the Strip.

Turkey's trade ministry said the measures would be in place until Israel allowed a "continuous and sufficient flow" of aid into Gaza.

Last year, trade between the two countries amounted to almost $7 billion.

Israel's foreign minister accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of acting like a "dictator."

Israel Katz said on the social network X that Erdogan was "ignoring the interests of the Turkish people and businesses and ignoring international trade agreements."

He added that he had instructed the foreign ministry to find alternatives to trade with Turkey, focusing on local production and imports from other countries.

In a statement, Turkey said the suspension of trade covered "all products".

"Turkey will strictly and resolutely implement these new measures until the Israeli government allows a continuous and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza," Ankara said in an official statement.

In 1949, Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel. But in recent decades their relations have deteriorated.

In 2010, the Turkish government said. Turkey severed diplomatic relations with Israel after 10 pro-Palestinian Turkish activists were killed in clashes with Israeli commandos who boarded a Turkish ship trying to break Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Relations were restored in 2016, but two years later the two countries expelled their top diplomats in a dispute over Israel's killing of Palestinians during protests on the Gaza-Israel border.

Erdogan has been increasingly harsh in his criticism of Israel since the deadly Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 last year.

In January, he said the military offensive that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched in response to the Hamas attack was "no less than what Hitler did."

Netanyahu replied: 'Erdogan, who is committing genocide against the Kurds and who holds the world record for imprisoning journalists who oppose his rule, is the last person who can preach morality to us'. / BGNES