ISTANBUL

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Friday welcomed Türkiye’s decision to cut off trade with Israel, urging Arab and Muslim nations to adopt similar steps to pressure Tel Aviv over its war on Gaza.

In a statement, Hamas said it “values the supportive positions of Türkiye toward the Palestinian people” amid Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on Gaza, according to the group.

The group highlighted remarks by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who told parliament earlier Friday that “Türkiye has cut off all trade with Israel, closed its airspace to Israeli aircraft, and does not allow Turkish ships to go to Israeli ports.”

Hamas called on Arab and Islamic countries, along with “free nations of the world,” to escalate punitive measures, sever relations with Israel, and work to isolate it until it halts its military campaign in Gaza.

At the extraordinary parliamentary session, Fidan also warned that Israel’s attacks in Gaza and across Palestine could set the entire region ablaze if not stopped. He said Israel has been “committing genocide in Gaza for the past two years, ignoring basic humanitarian values right before the world’s eyes.”

He added that Ankara opposes any proposal to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza, calling such plans “invalid,” and described the atrocities in the enclave as “one of the darkest chapters in human history.”

The foreign minister also condemned Israel’s strikes in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iran, saying they are “the clearest sign of a terrorist state mentality defying international order.”

Israel has killed over 63,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.