Türkiye imposes export embargo on Israel pending Gaza ceasefire

Türkiye enacted Tuesday new export restrictions on an array of products to Israel to push for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, reported Xinhua.

The measures apply to 54 categories of products, including iron, paint, marble, steel, cement, aluminum, brick, fertilizer, construction equipment and products, as well as aviation fuel, according to a statement by the Turkish Trade Ministry.

"This decision will remain in effect until Israel, within the framework of its obligations under international law, declares an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and allows a sufficient and uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into the strip," the ministry said.

Israel must be "in full cooperation with the United Nations to allow the uninterrupted provision of all basic humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza, including the medical supplies and health services they need," it added.

It also noted that Türkiye "has not allowed the sale of any product or service that could be used for military purposes to Israel" for a long time.

The restrictions come after Israel rejected a Turkish request to take part in a Gaza aid drop operation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced Monday that Ankara had decided to take a series of measures against Israel, stressing "there is no excuse for Israel to block our attempt to airlift aid to starving Gazans."

The Turkish government came under criticism ahead of the March 31 local elections for continuing trade with Israel amid the latter's relentless killings in Gaza.

Despite a year-on-year decrease of 27.2 percent, Türkiye's monthly exports to Israel reached 437 million U.S. dollars in March, the highest record in the period of the past six-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, showed data published by the Turkish Trade Ministry last week.

For the past month, Israel also ranked the 15th country to which Türkiye exported the most, according to the statistics.

In response to the export embargo, the Israeli Foreign Ministry warned in a statement that it would cast a shadow on relations between the two countries and Israel would potentially impose similar restrictions on Turkish exports, Israeli public radio reported.

Meanwhile, the Turkish move is highly commended by Palestine. Palestinian Minister of Economy Mohammed Alamour said it "affirms Türkiye's continued support for the Palestinian people and unremitting efforts to pressure the Israeli government to stop the genocide in Gaza."

The minister urged more countries to follow Türkiye's lead since Israel continues the acts of "genocide" and "uses starvation as a weapon" against the people in the Palestinian enclave.