Turkey’s Ministry of Commerce has announced that it has restricted the exports of 54 product groups to Israel, "which continues to violate international law with its attacks on Gaza in Palestine since October 7, 2023". No details regarding these restrictions, which came into force as of today, April 9, have been disclosed yet. There was already public pressure for measures against Israel. Market sources see this decision as “more of a political one”, SteelOrbis understands.
The restricted products include rebar, wire rod and flat steel products, as well as steel pipes and fittings, profiles, iron and steel construction materials, iron-steel wire, cement, aviation and jet fuel and metal processing machinery. It was reported that the measure will remain in effect until Israel declares a ceasefire in Gaza and allows an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, in the January-February period this year, Turkey exported 49,990 mt of rebar and 11,387 mt wire rod to Israel. In the given period, Israel was Turkey's second and fourth main market for rebar and wire rod exports, respectively.