Turkey closes airspace to Israeli planes, curbs Israel-bound trade over Gaza war

Turkey announced Friday it was closing its airspace to Israeli government planes and any cargo of arms for the Israeli military while closing its ports to maritime trade between third countries and Israel.

The announcement by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan came on top of a ban on direct trade between Turkey and Israel announced in May of 2024.

"We have completely cut off our trade with Israel. We have closed our ports to Israeli ships," Fidan told a special parliamentary debate on Gaza in Ankara. "We do not allow container ships carrying weapons and ammunition to Israel to enter our ports, nor do we allow aircraft to enter our airspace."

Ankara has been a harsh critic of Israeli attacks on Gaza, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeatedly referring to Israel's actions as genocide and likening Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Hitler.

Turkey severed direct trade ties with Israel in May last year, demanding a permanent ceasefire and the immediate entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza. In 2023 the two countries carried out $7 billion in trade.

Turkish media reported last week that a ban on maritime traffic linked to Israel had been imposed, although there was no official statement at the time.

Last November, Turkish authorities denied permission for Israeli President Isaac Herzog's plane to enter Turkey's airspace for a trip to an international summit in Azerbaijan. "As Turkey, we have to take a stance on certain issues," Erdogan later said when asked about the incident.