ANKARA (Dispatches) – 
Turkey has closed its airspace to Israeli official and military aircraft and fully severed trade ties with Israel, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday, intensifying Ankara’s pressure campaign over Israel’s military atrocities in Gaza.
“We have completely cut off our trade with Israel. We have closed our ports to Israeli ships and are not allowing Turkish ships to dock at Israeli ports,” Fidan told lawmakers during a parliamentary address focused on the Gaza crisis. “No other country has fully severed trade ties with Israel as we have.”
Fidan said Turkish authorities are also blocking container ships carrying weapons and ammunition destined for Israel from entering Turkish ports and have barred Israeli aircraft from using Turkish airspace.
While the no-fly measure appeared to be a new policy, Turkish officials speaking on condition of anonymity told Middle East Eye that the airspace closure for Israeli military and official flights had been in place since late 2023. One source confirmed that commercial airliners flying to and from Israeli occupied territories would still be permitted to use Turkish airspace.
“The ban specifically applies to Israeli official, military, and private planes,” the source said, adding that no changes had been made regarding international commercial carriers.
Another Turkish official pointed to a specific instance in November 2023 when Israel’s president Isaac Herzog’s planned flight to Azerbaijan was denied access to Turkish airspace. “We have been consistently denying Israeli official flight requests for quite some time,” the official said.
Fidan framed Turkey’s measures as a response to Israel’s months-long military aggression in Gaza, repeated raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque in Al-Quds, and ongoing settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
“This is not just a bilateral matter anymore. Israel’s actions are a threat to international law and regional stability,” Fidan said.
Earlier in the week, speaking at an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Riyadh, Fidan urged Islamic nations to push for Israel’s suspension from the United Nations General Assembly. He also called for increased global recognition of Palestinian statehood and full UN membership for Palestine.
“We must unite our efforts to sustain and expand momentum for Palestine’s recognition while launching an initiative at the UN for Palestine’s full membership,” he said. “Additionally, we must consider suspending Israel from the work of the General Assembly.”
Turkey has recently escalated its sanctions regime against Israel, announcing six punitive measures last month that include barring Israeli-affiliated vessels from Turkish ports. Those measures aligned with a joint statement issued by The Hague Group during an emergency Palestine conference in Bogota.
Turkish-Israeli relations have sharply deteriorated since October 2023, when Ankara joined South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Turkish officials have since called for international accountability and stepped up diplomatic efforts to isolate Israel on global platforms.
Fidan reiterated Ankara’s position that Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza and that the international community must act. “We will continue to take all necessary steps, both diplomatically and legally, to support the Palestinian people and hold Israel accountable,” he said.