Turkey has stopped all trade with Israel due to the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Key points:
- Turkey suspended imports and exports with Israel worth $7 billion last year
- This is because Israel is not allowing enough aid to flow into Gaza
- The United Nations says aid deliveries to Gaza have been blocked repeatedly
Why is the lack of aid to Gaza such a significant issue?
Turkey Cuts Trade Ties
Turkey’s leader, President Erdogan, said his country will stop all trade with Israel right away. He did this because of the terrible humanitarian situation happening in Gaza, the Palestinian territory. Last year, the exchange between Turkey and Israel was worth almost $7 billion.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused Erdogan of acting like a “dictator.” He warned that Turkey would end up “losing” from the trade cut-off.
Aid Delivery Problems in Gaza
UN Reports Blocked Aid Routes
The United Nations has reported that lorries (trucks) carrying aid supplies have been regularly stuck at key Israeli checkpoints. This is blocking the delivery of crucial food and humanitarian supplies to people in northern Gaza.
Most aid comes by truck into southern Gaza first. It then has to travel through Israeli checkpoints to reach the northern areas. The UN says long queues of lorries have repeatedly formed at these checkpoints, severely delaying aid distribution.
Satellite Evidence of Blockages
The BBC examined exclusive satellite images that showed long lines of lorries backed up on roads leading to Israeli checkpoints. In one image from April 15, over 70 trucks were stuck in a queue stretching over a kilometer.
The UN provided photos showing empty trucks lined up on the same road, waiting to enter the checkpoint area. According to the UN evidence, similar backups have happened multiple times.
Israel’s Defense
Israeli authorities overseeing Gaza aid efforts have accused the UN of being too slow in distributing supplies once they enter Gaza. In social media posts, they claimed there was no blockage on their side – only delays caused by the UN’s operations inside Gaza.
However, Israel has not directly responded to the specific evidence of the truck queues outside their checkpoints.
Deteriorating Conditions in Gaza
Aid groups say people in northern Gaza may soon starve because aid is not getting delivered properly. The UN warned that everyone involved needs to work together better so food and supplies can reach the people who desperately need them.
As Israeli-Palestinian tensions remain high, the trade cut-off and suspended aid access could worsen the dire situation for civilians in Gaza. However, restart talks between Israel and Hamas, which governs Gaza, remain stalled over disputed conditions for a potential truce agreement.