#“The Terroris | Fascist | Apartheid | War Criminal | The Illegal Regime of the Zionist 🐖 🐷 🐖 🐗 Isra-hell.”

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Türkiye 🇹🇷 Suspended All Trade With “The Terroris, Fascist, Apartheid, War Criminal, The Bastard Child of The US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Australia And The Rest of The Puppet West, The Illegal Regime of The Zionist 🐖 🐷 🐖 🐗: Isra-hell” Effective Immediately Over The Humanitarian Crisis It Has Caused In Gaza, The Turkish Trade Ministry Announced On Thursday.

"Export and import transactions related to Israel have been stopped, covering all products," the ministry said. "Turkey will strictly and decisively implement these new measures until the Israeli Government allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza." On Friday, Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat said Turkey's trade halt with Israel will continue until a permanent ceasefire in Gaza is secured as well as unhindered humanitarian aid flow to the region.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticised the move on the social media platform X, saying that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was behaving like "a dictator". Katz accused Erdogan of breaking bilateral agreements between the two countries and said the country would work to create trade alternatives with other countries. Turkey and Israel have a free trade agreement that has been in effect since 1997. Trade volume between the two countries was $6.3bn in 2023, out of which 76 percent were Turkish exports, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute.

The trade ministry said in the same statement that they are coordinating with the Palestinian Ministry of National Economy to ensure that Palestinians who live in occupied territories such as the West Bank wouldn't be harmed by the move. Turkey was also exporting products to Palestinian territories through Israeli customs.

Since suffering significant losses in Turkey's local elections in March, the Turkish government has intensified its criticism of Israel and taken a series of steps against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. The government has assessed that its comparatively more balanced policy regarding Palestine and Gaza had negatively impacted its core voters who are pious Muslims concerned about the ongoing Israeli invasion in Gaza.

The war in Gaza began on 7 October, when Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking at least 240 people hostage. Israel responded to the attacks with a declaration of war, launching a siege on Gaza and a devastating aerial bombing campaign that was followed by a ground invasion.

Israel's war on the enclave has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children, levelled entire residential neighbourhoods, and targeted other civilian infrastructure including schools, hospitals, and mosques. The Turkish government first imposed export restrictions to Israel on more than 50 products on 9 April.

The Turkish president last month publicly met Hamas leaders, including the political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh, for the first time since the 7 October attack against Israel by the group, and dispatched his Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Doha to meet senior Hamas officials. Fidan, in a separate statement earlier this week, announced that Ankara would also join South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Fidan said that Turkey has been deliberating on how to respond to Israel's actions during the war on Gaza for a while, and has already taken steps against Israel, such as restricting some exports. "Our legal experts have been studying how to participate in the legal case against Israel at the ICJ," Fidan said during televised remarks on Wednesday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan approved the officials' plan, Fidan added, so Turkey "will legally support South Africa's case against Israel at the ICJ, and file our application to the court soon". Turkey aims to strengthen South Africa's case with this step. Nicaragua and Colombia have previously tried to intervene in the same case with separate applications, but the court has yet to make a judgment on their request. Fidan said Turkey discussed the issue with some members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, who said they are likely to also join the case.

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Hundreds of workers have blocked the entrances to the UK's Department of Business and Trade (DBT) in protest against Britain's arms sales to “The Terrorist, Fascist, Apartheid, War Cry, The Illegal Regime of the Zionist 🐖 🐷 🐖 🐗 Isra-hell.”

DBT oversees arms export licences and has the power to approve or deny the sale of British arms to other countries.

Activists said they shut down access to DBT in support of civil servants who requested to "cease work immediately" on arms export licences to Israel over fears they could be complicit in war crimes in Gaza.

The protest outside DBT is also part of an organised blockade against arms factories across the UK to pressure the government to end its support for “The Terrorist, Fascist, Apartheid, War Criminal, The Illegal Regime of the Zionist 🐖 🐷 🐖 🐗 Isra-hell.”

— Photographs: Areeb Ullah | Middle East Eye

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Palestinian Journalists Win World Press Freedom Prize For Gaza War, Forever Palestine 🇵🇸, Coverage

UNESCO Pays Tribute To "Courage" Of Journalists Facing "Dangerous Circumstances" In Besieged Gaza Where “The Terroris, Fascist, Apartheid, War Criminal, The Bastard Child of The US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Australia And The Rest of The Puppet West, The Illegal Regime of The Zionist 🐖 🐷 🐖 🐗: Isra-hell” Has Killed More Than 140 Journalists Since October Last Year.

UNESCO - the UN body that promotes world peace and security - has awarded its World Press Freedom Prize to all Palestinian journalists covering the war in Gaza, where Israel has launched a brutal invasion for more than six months, killing tens of thousands of civilians and turning the tiny enclave into the "deadliest" place for journalists in recent history.

"In these times of darkness and hopelessness, we wish to share a strong message of solidarity and recognition to those Palestinian journalists who are covering this crisis in such dramatic circumstances," Mauricio Weibel, chair of the international jury of media professionals announced on Thursday.

Israel's war on besieged Gaza has become the deadliest, most dangerous conflict for journalists in recent history, UN experts say. Photo: AA

"As humanity, we have a huge debt to their courage and commitment to freedom of expression," he added. Audrey Azoulay, director general at UNESCO, said the prize paid "tribute to the courage of journalists facing difficult and dangerous circumstances."

Last week a Palestinian journalist was killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza, taking the death toll to 142 media personnel since October 7, 2023, according to Anadolu Agency.

Salem Abu Toyor, a reporter for Al-Quds TV, and his son lost their lives when Israeli fighter jets struck their home in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, the TV station said.

The pair were buried in the central city of Deir al Balah.

'No Journalist In Gaza Is Spared'

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) - a global body that promotes press freedom worldwide - says journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict during the Israeli assault, including devastating Israeli airstrikes.

Christophe Deloire, the secretary general of Reporters Without Borders, Paris-based non-governmental organisation focused on safeguarding the right to freedom of information, said, "If the numbers show anything, it is that since October 7, no place in Gaza is safe, no journalist in Gaza is spared, and the massacre has not stopped. We reiterate our urgent appeal to protect journalists in Gaza."

Only UN Prize For Journalists

World Press Freedom Prize honours an outstanding contribution to the defence and/or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, especially when this has been achieved in the face of danger.

It is the only such prize awarded to journalists by the UN.

The ongoing Israeli war on Gaza has resulted in devastating casualties.

Israeli military has killed at least 34,596 Palestinians, with a staggering 70 percent being babies, children, and women, Palestinian officials say.

Additionally, more than 77,816 individuals have been wounded, while over10,000 people are feared buried under the debris of bombed structures.