Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, announced on Friday, 29 August, that Turkey had barred Israeli ships and aircraft from its ports and airspace.
Speaking before lawmakers in a televised session, Fidan said Turkish authorities had moved to shut down access to Israeli-linked vessels and flights, and to prohibit the transfer of weapons bound for Israel through Turkish territory.
“We have closed our ports to Israeli ships,” he stated. “We do not permit Turkish vessels to dock in Israel, nor do we allow cargo carrying arms and ammunition to Israel to pass through our ports or airspace.”
A Turkish diplomat, seeking to clarify the scope of the measure, said the ban applies to “official” Israeli flights as well as to any aircraft transporting military equipment destined for Israel. The official declined to specify when the airspace restrictions had taken effect.
The move formalizes a series of steps Turkey has taken over the past year to distance itself from Israel. In November 2024, Ankara blocked the Israeli president’s jet from crossing its skies, forcing him to cancel plans to attend a climate summit in Azerbaijan. Months later, in May 2025, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a trip to Baku after reports that Turkey had again denied his delegation overflight rights.
Fidan’s announcement marks the first time Ankara has publicly acknowledged the full extent of the bans. The prohibition also applies more broadly to foreign vessels carrying military cargo intended for Israel, according to the Turkish regulations, while Turkish-flagged ships are barred from Israeli ports.n
Relations between Turkey and Israel have steadily deteriorated since Israel’s military campaign in Gaza began in October 2023. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Israel of committing “genocide” in the Palestinian enclave and positioned himself as one of the most vocal international critics of the war.
Since Israel’s war on Gaza began, the Palestinian Health Ministry reports that more than 63,000 people have been killed. According to the United Nations (UN), famine had been declared in Gaza, citing severe food shortages, escalating malnutrition, and deaths caused by hunger.
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