STORY: Turkey has become the first of Israel's key partners to halt trade over the conflict in Gaza.
Trade Minister Omer Bolat said on Friday (May 3) Ankara would not resume the trade with Israel until a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid for Gaza are secured.
This was Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan:
"All of the West is working for Israel. Starting with America, they are all working for Israel. All these means are being mobilized to unfortunately condemn the waifs and strays, the poor and the have-nots of Palestine, to death in the face of Israel's bombs. We could not have remained patient in the face of these, so we took our steps. There was a trade volume of $9.5 billion between us."
Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticized the suspension, saying it breaks international trade agreements, and calling it "how a dictator behaves."
The militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, praised the decision as brave and supportive of Palestinian rights.
Last month, Turkey curbed exports of steel, fertilizer and jet fuel among other products over what it said was Israel's refusal to allow Ankara to take part in aid air-drops over Gaza.
All remaining trade is now halted.
Turkey has denounced Israel's military campaign in Gaza and sent thousands of tons of aid for Gazans.
This week it said it would join South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
Turkey's commercial ties with Israel had prompted a domestic backlash and hurt the ruling AK Party in local elections in March.
Turkish exporters with firm orders are now looking for ways to send their goods to Israel via third countries, four export company owners told Reuters.
They said the decision had caught them by surprise.
