Turkey’s Ministry of Trade responded to several media reports alleging the supply of ammunition and weapons to Israel, confirming the inaccuracy of these claims and describing them as fake news and manipulation of facts.
In a statement, the ministry said, “It is evident that the subheadings of the customs tariff schedule have been manipulated to steer public opinion in the desired direction. These news stories disseminated by foreign websites aim to manipulate and do not reflect reality.”
Several media outlets, citing the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), reported that Ankara supplied Israel with explosives, gunpowder, weapons, and ammunition last January.
The Ministry of Trade clarified in the press release that the explosives included “liquid fuel and gas for lighters,” and the weapons and ammunition included “hunting rifle parts and hunting equipment such as traps.”
Meanwhile, the Turkish Ministry of Defense issued a statement denying the media reports that spoke of any cooperation with Israel.
The Turkish Defense Ministry stated, “Turkey always supports Palestine and cannot engage in any activities aimed at harming Palestine… There is no cooperation between the Turkish Ministry of Defense and Israel in military training, maneuvers, or defense industry.”
Diplomatic tensions between Tel Aviv and Ankara escalated after Israel launched a bloody war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of over 32,000 civilians and injuring more than 70,000 others, mostly children and women.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has previously described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly as a “butcher” and “murderer,” alleging that he committed genocide in the Gaza Strip to prolong his political career and evade trial in Israel.
Ankara has also expressed its firm refusal to recognize the Palestinian movement “Hamas” as a terrorist organization.
