Exports from Türkiye to Israel have all but ceased since the Turkish government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan halted trade until the Gaza Strip received sufficient humanitarian aid last May.
According to preliminary data from Türkiye’s leading exporter’s association on the 3rd, shipments to Israel fell by 99% on an annual basis, recording $4.4 million.
The official statistical service, Turkish Statistical Institute, is expected to announce last month’s total trade data, including imports, at the end of June.
Data showed Türkiye’s exports to Israel fell by 40% compared to the same period last year until May.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Economy, last year’s total trade volume was $6.8 billion.
Turkish Trade Ministry announced that trade ties would be paused until Israel allows “uninterrupted and sufficient flow” of humanitarian aid to Gaza, where it has been at war with Hamas militants since last October.
Türkiye and Israel had been normalizing relations after a decade of tension before the war began.
Erdogan intensified his criticism of Israel after his ruling party suffered a nationwide defeat in local elections last March.
This defeat was partly blamed on the government’s indifferent response to Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip.
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