Turkey Cuts Ties With Israel

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

ANKARA/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday that Turkey has cut its ties with the State of Israel, marking a sharp escalation in diplomatic tensions between the two nations.

“We have cut trade and ties with Israel, period,” Erdoğan said in remarks to Turkish media.

However, Israeli officials in Jerusalem said they were unaware of the diplomatic status change.

While Turkey recalled its ambassador from Israel “in protest of the Gaza War,” the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv is still operating, Israeli sources said.

Erdoğan spoke to reporters aboard his plane following recent visits to Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan.

The Turkey’s leader stressed his condemnation of what he called “genocide” by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon.

ISRAEL DENIES

Israel’s government has vehemently denied committing atrocities, saying it is fighting Iran’s proxies, such as Hamas, after the group killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7 last year.

However, Erdoğan said there was “an urgent need” for humanitarian aid and an immediate ceasefire. “As you know, intense efforts are being made to keep the pressure on Israel alive and to take coercive measures against this country based on international law,” he added.

The Turkish president has been among Israel’s harshest critics before and after last year’s Hamas massacre, described as “the worst atrocity against Jews since the Holocaust,” or Shoah.

He refused to condemn the Hamas atrocities against Israeli civilians and instead lashed out at Israel for its war against Hamas in Gaza.

In March, Erdoğan emphasized Turkey’s strong ties with Hamas, which he refuses to recognize as a “terrorist organization.”

“Turkey is a country that speaks openly with Hamas leaders and firmly backs them. No one can make us qualify Hamas as a terrorist organization,” he said

HITLER COMPARISON

The Turkish president has also compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler who ordered the murder of six million Jews.

“Netanyahu and his administration, with their crimes against humanity in Gaza, are writing their names next to Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin, like today’s Nazis,” Erdoğan claimed.

In May, the Turkish leader escalated his rhetoric by calling Netanyahu a “vampire” and said the State of Israel was a threat to “all of humanity.”

He also announced that Turkey would halt all commercial trade with the Jewish state. Former Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz strongly condemned Erdoğan, accusing him of undermining both Israeli and Turkish traders.

“Erdoğan crossed a line and blocked ports for Israeli exports and imports,” Katz complained.

“This is how a dictator behaves – trampling on the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen and ignoring international trade agreements,” he argued.

Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.

More Worthy News

U.S. Intelligence Warns Putin Could Test NATO With Limited Military Incursion
U.S. Intelligence Warns Putin Could Test NATO With Limited Military Incursion
Thursday, August 6, 2026

U.S. intelligence agencies are warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin could attempt a limited attack against a NATO member within the next several years, potentially testing whether the alliance is willing to respond militarily, according to a Wall Street Journal exclusive.

Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan to Sign Joint Defense Agreement Friday
Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan to Sign Joint Defense Agreement Friday
Thursday, August 6, 2026

Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are expected to sign a joint defense agreement in Saudi Arabia on Friday, marking a potentially significant shift in the military balance of the Middle East and broader Muslim world.

Britain Vows Tougher Crackdown On Illegal Migration As Reform UK Unveils Channel Plan
Britain Vows Tougher Crackdown On Illegal Migration As Reform UK Unveils Channel Plan
Thursday, August 6, 2026

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged “relentless” action to curb illegal migration after official figures showed that more than 2,000 asylum seekers crossed the English Channel in small boats during his first two weeks in office.

Iraq Court Backs Christian Woman In Landmark Religious Freedom Case
Iraq Court Backs Christian Woman In Landmark Religious Freedom Case
Thursday, August 6, 2026

Iraq’s highest appellate court has ordered authorities to recognize a woman’s Christian faith in state records rather than the Muslim designation forced on her under Iraqi law.

Senators Hold Fauci In Contempt, Advance To U.S. Attorney
Senators Hold Fauci In Contempt, Advance To U.S. Attorney
Thursday, August 6, 2026

U.S. Senators advanced, in an 8-5 vote on Thursday, a contempt of Congress resolution that would refer Anthony Fauci to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C.

Trump Signs New Executive Orders Targeting Birth Tourism After Supreme Court Citizenship Ruling
Trump Signs New Executive Orders Targeting Birth Tourism After Supreme Court Citizenship Ruling
Thursday, August 6, 2026

President Donald Trump signed two executive actions Thursday aimed at restricting birth tourism and limiting automatic citizenship in certain cases, renewing his effort to confront what the administration calls widespread abuse of America’s immigration and citizenship laws.

Trump DOJ Sues Maryland County Over Gun Restrictions Near Churches
Trump DOJ Sues Maryland County Over Gun Restrictions Near Churches
Thursday, August 6, 2026

The Trump administration’s Department of Justice has filed a federal lawsuit against Montgomery County, Maryland, challenging a new gun-control ordinance that restricts licensed citizens from carrying firearms in and around churches and thousands of other locations.