TURKEY HAS SAID it is suspending all trade with Israel until aid is able to flow freely into the Gaza Strip in Palestine, which has been under Israeli siege, bombardment and assault since October.

“Exports and imports to and from Israel have been suspended,” the Turkish trade ministry said in a statement, adding: “Turkey will apply these new measures… until the Israeli government authorises an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz had earlier on Thursday accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of breaking agreements between the two countries by blocking Israeli exports and imports.

The move is the latest example of deteriorating relations between the two countries after Turkey, one of the few Muslim-majority nations to recognise Israel, restricted exports to the country in April.

Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed at least 34,596 people, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s health ministry. The campaign came in response to the Hamas-led attacks of October last year, which left more than 1,000 people dead.

With reporting from AFP