Turkey has closed its airspace to Israeli planes over Gaza war: Foreign minister

Istanbul: Turkey has closed its airspace to Israeli planes in protest against the war in Gaza, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Friday.

“We have completely cut off our trade with Israel. We do not allow Turkish ships to go to Israeli ports. We do not allow their planes to enter our airspace,” he told a special parliamentary debate on Gaza in Ankara.

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. According to reports, Israeli vessels were banned from docking in Turkey and Turkish-flagged ships were not allowed to enter Israeli ports.

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.

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.