"Turkey Completely Suspends Trade with Israel"

Turkey has completely suspended trade with Israel, which continues airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, Bloomberg reported on the 2nd (local time).

According to multiple sources, the Turkish government has halted all exports and imports of goods with Israel as of that day. Last year, the trade volume between the two countries was about $6.8 billion (approximately 9.4 trillion KRW), with 76% of that being Turkey's exports to Israel.

The Turkish government has not officially announced this fact. However, Israeli Foreign Minister Katz also posted on X (formerly Twitter) on the same day, confirming the suspension of trade by stating, "Turkey has broken the agreement and blocked ports for Israel's exports and imports." He criticized, "This is exactly how a dictator ignores the interests of the Turkish people and businesspeople and disregards international trade agreements." This statement is interpreted as referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, who has supported the Palestinian armed group Hamas and condemned Israel amid the Gaza Strip war.

Earlier last month, the Turkish government also restricted exports to Israel on dozens of items. At that time, Israel responded by saying, "We will not import other Turkish products either."

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his determination to attack Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, despite international opposition. At a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers, he said, "We will do what needs to be done, including the attack on Rafah, to defeat the enemy and achieve victory," adding, "There are still disagreements, but after debate, I have made the decision."