Turkey imposes export restrictions; Israel threatens retaliation

The restrictions apply to products in 54 categories, spanning iron and steel products, construction equipment, machines and more, according to Turkey’s Trade Ministry.

The ban takes effect immediately, the ministry announced.

“Israel continues to flagrantly violate international law and ignores the international community … This decision will remain in place until Israel declares a ceasefire immediately and allows adequate and uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” it said on social media.

The new measures come a day after Turkey said Israel blocked its attempt to airdrop aid to Gaza. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan promised reprisals against Israel, saying they would be implemented “step by step” and “without delay”.

Relations between Israel and Turkey, which have traditionally cooperated closely, deteriorated to their lowest point in years during the Gaza war, with Turkey’s President Erdogan calling Israel a “terror state” whose leaders are engaging in “genocide”.

Israel’s foreign minister says Turkey has “unilaterally violated” trade agreements with its decision to restrict exports to Israel and Israel will respond with its own trade restrictions on products coming from Turkey.

Israel Katz said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “is again sacrificing the economic interests of the people of Turkey in order to support Hamas, and we will respond in kind”.

Turkey, which has denounced Israel for its attack on the densely populated Gaza Strip and has called for an immediate ceasefire, has sent tens of thousands of tonnes of humanitarian aid there since the start of the war on October 7.

Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu has the latest from Istanbul and Imran Khan is in the occupied East Jerusalem for Israel’s reaction.

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