Turkey halts all trade with Israel as war with Hamas in Gaza claims more civilian lives

Istanbul — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated his nation had imposed a commerce ban on Israel as a result of it might now not “stand by and watch” the violence in Gaza. Turkey introduced Thursday that it had suspended all imports and exports to Israel over its army actions within the struggle in opposition to Gaza’s Hamas rulers.

Ankara stated Friday that the ban would stay in place till a everlasting cease-fire is achieved and the Israeli authorities permits all humanitarian support to achieve Gaza with out hindrance.

“Thus far, Israel has killed 40,000 to 45,000 Palestinians with out mercy. As Muslims, we couldn’t stand by and watch,” Erdogan advised reporters following conventional Friday prayers in Istanbul, suggesting a demise toll even larger than well being officers within the Hamas-run Palestinian territory have reported for the reason that struggle there broke out. It was sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist assault on Israel, which left about 1,200 individuals useless and noticed some 240 others taken hostage by the militants.

Gaza’s Well being Ministry stated Friday that 26 extra individuals had been killed by Israeli strikes over the previous 24 hours, bringing the general Palestinian demise toll from the Israel-Hamas struggle to a minimum of 34,622. The ministry in Gaza — a densely populated Palestinian territory run for nearly 20 years by Hamas, doesn’t distinguish between civilian and combatant casualties in its tallies, however has lengthy stated ladies and youngsters make up a majority of these killed.

Israel’s army says it has killed 13,000 Palestinian militants with its struggle, nevertheless it has not offered proof to again up the declare. The Israel Protection Forces and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have insisted repeatedly that every one doable measures are taken to stop civilian deaths, and so they accuse Hamas of utilizing civilians as human shields, however the U.N. stated this week that the extent of destruction of civilian housing in Gaza had not been seen for the reason that second World Warfare.

The Turkish chief had confronted intense stress to halt commerce with Israel amid the spiraling civilian demise toll in Gaza and his celebration misplaced some votes in native elections in March to a small Islamist celebration that had been crucial of Turkey’s continued business relations with the Jewish state.

“We had a commerce quantity that had reached $9.5 billion between us,” Ergodan stated Friday about Israel, “however we closed the door as if this commerce quantity didn’t exist.”

Erdogan once more held the US and different Western nations chargeable for deaths within the Israel-Hamas struggle.

“The entire West, and particularly America, are working for Israel by mobilizing all sources and sadly the poor individuals of Palestine had been sentenced to demise by Israel’s bombings,” he stated.

U.N. says Rafah offensive would imply “imminent threat of demise” for hundreds

The United Nations humanitarian support company stated Friday, in the meantime, that a whole lot of hundreds of individuals could be “at imminent threat of demise” if Israel carries out a army assault within the southern Gaza metropolis of Rafah because it has vowed to do.

Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the U.N. Workplace for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, stated Rafah had develop into an important hub for distribution of humanitarian support into and round Gaza since Israel launched its assault on Hamas.

Sitting proper on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, Rafah is pivotal for meals, water, well being, sanitation, hygiene and different crucial assist to individuals throughout the Palestinian territory, together with a whole lot of hundreds of Gazans who fled to Rafah to flee combating elsewhere.

Laerke advised reporters at an everyday U.N. briefing in Geneva that the displaced plenty within the metropolis “could be at imminent threat of demise if there may be an assault.”

World Well being Group officers stated they’ve been making ready contingency plans for a doable assault in Rafah. They famous, in the meantime, that extra meals has been reaching beleaguered Palestinians in latest weeks, however the specter of famine stays.

Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO consultant for occupied Palestinian areas, stated by videoconference that the specter of famine had “completely not” declined. Dr. Ahmed Dahir, the top of WHO’s workplace in Gaza, stated the meals state of affairs was fragile, and “the chance of famine has not handed.”

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