Turkiye closes its airspace to Israeli planes, bans trade

Istanbul: Turkiye announced Friday it was closing its airspace to Israeli govt planes and any cargo of arms for the Israeli military while closing its ports to maritime trade between third countries and Israel.

The announcement by foreign minister Hakan Fidan came on top of a ban on direct trade between Turkiye and Israel announced in May of 2024. "We have completely cut off our trade with Israel. We have closed our ports to Israeli ships," Fidan told a special parliamentary debate on Gaza in Ankara. "We do not allow container ships carrying weapons and ammunition to Israel to enter our ports, nor do we allow aircraft to enter our airspace."Turkiye severed direct trade ties with Israel in May last year, demanding a permanent ceasefire and immediate entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza. In 2023 the two nations carried out $7 billion in trade.