In response to the attacks on targets in the Gaza Strip, the Turkish government has immediately suspended trade with Israel. More information in the news blog.
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Hamas massacre victim found dead in Israel
8:10 p.m.: A victim of the Hamas massacre has been found dead in Israeli territory months after the attack. The Israeli armed forces announced this on Friday. The man was murdered in the terrorist attack carried out by the Islamist Hamas from the Gaza Strip on October 7th of the previous year, the statement said. Since his body has only just been found, it was previously assumed that the terrorists had kidnapped him as a hostage in the Gaza Strip.
The army has informed the victim’s relatives. The remains were identified through detailed forensic examinations. The hostage forum said on Friday that the man was working as a security guard for the Nova music festival, which was held near the Gaza border. In this role, he saved numerous festival guests from the terrorists of Hamas and other extremist Palestinian groups before he was murdered himself.
Houthis threaten Europe: missiles can reach the Mediterranean
5:25 p.m.: The Houthi militia in Yemen has announced an increase in its attacks on merchant ships in the Mediterranean. A spokesman for the group told supporters in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Friday that ships traveling in the Mediterranean to Israeli ports should now also be attacked. According to experts, the Houthis have missiles with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers and could therefore theoretically carry out their threat.
The Houthi militia, allied with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, has for months been attacking merchant ships passing the Yemeni coast in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea and the wider Indian Ocean. Yemen is located on one of the world’s most important trade routes, connecting Europe with Asia. The Houthis are also said to have taken part in the Iranian attack on Israel with rockets and drones in mid-April. However, the attack was largely repelled by Israel and its allies.
The Houthis say they want to force an end to the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip. In the event of an offensive on the city of Rafah in the south of the coastal strip, the Houthi spokesman announced that the attacks would be expanded to all ships whose operators had business contacts with Israel. Previously, ships that were traveling to or from Israel or owned by Israeli, British or US companies were targeted.
Erdoğan defends breaking off trade relations with Israel
3:19 p.m.: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has defended the suspension of trade with Israel. In view of Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, Erdoğan said on Friday that they “could no longer be patient.” The Ministry of Trade announced on Thursday evening that all imports and exports to the country would be suspended until the Israeli government allowed unhindered access for aid deliveries to the coastal strip.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz reacted angrily to the decision. “This is how a dictator behaves, disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and business people,” Katz wrote on Platform X.
The Turkish leader spoke of a trade volume of 9.5 billion US dollars, which they now want to “do without”. Figures from the Turkish Statistics Authority show a trade volume of around $7 billion in 2023, the majority of which is exports to Israel. At the beginning of April, Turkey had already imposed export restrictions on certain goods in trade with Israel and linked these to a demand for an immediate ceasefire.
Türkiye: trade ban with Israel until a permanent ceasefire
10 a.m.: According to its Trade Minister Omer Bolat, Turkey will maintain the trade ban with Israel until a ceasefire is secured. In addition, aid supplies must reach the Gaza Strip unhindered, says Bolat. Israel’s unforgiving attitude and the deteriorating situation in the Palestinian territory prompted Turkey to stop trade with Israel. In 2023, trade between the two countries amounted to $6.8 billion.
