In the early hours of May 5, the Shiite armed group Iraqi Islamic Resistance Movement claimed to have launched a missile attack on the port of Haifa, Israel's largest port, in support of the people of Gaza and against the Israeli occupation. The group also said it would continue to strike at Israeli infrastructure in response to Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip.
The Turkish Ministry of Trade issued a statement announcing the suspension of all imports and exports related to Israel. Based on this, Maersk's official website issued an emergency notice to suspend Israeli imports, exports, transshipment and bookings.
Israel's largest port was hit by a missile attack
On May 5, the Shiite militant group Islamic Resistance Movement in Iraq issued a statement saying that it had launched a missile attack on the northern Israeli port of Haifa. The Port of Haifa is Israel's largest port, with an annual cargo throughput of nearly 30 million tons and a container throughput of about 1.5 million TEUs.
The Islamic Resistance Movement of Iraq (IRA) stated that it had attacked the Israeli port of Haifa using Alqab cruise missiles to oppose the Israeli occupation and support the people of Gaza. They also said they would continue to strike at Israeli infrastructure in response to military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Several Israeli seaports, including Haifa and Ashdod on the Mediterranean coast, and Eilat in the Red Sea region, have recently been attacked by the Iraqi Islamic Resistance Movement and the Houthis. The port of Eilat has been virtually cut off from imports and exports due to missile strikes by the Houthis.
Since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Israel's port operations have been frequently attacked by the Houthis, and the Red Sea route has been suspended. Houthi spokesman Yahya Sareya said on the 3rd that the Houthis will launch attacks on Israeli-linked ships sailing in the Mediterranean, that is, the scope of the attack will be extended to the Mediterranean.
In addition, Sarea said that if Israel attacks the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, the Houthis will continue to expand their reach against all ships of companies that have done business with the Israeli side in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, regardless of their nationality or port of destination.
Trade disruptions! Maersk suspends imports and exports, transshipments, and bookings
Due to the announcement of the Ministry of Trade of the Turkish government that all trade with Israel will be suspended due to the ongoing conflict situation in and around the country, on May 5, Maersk's official website issued a notice on the suspension of Israel's import and export trade, transshipment and booking, with the specific implementation restrictions as follows, effective immediately:
Suspension of all exports from Turkey to Israel
Suspension of all imports from Israel to Turkey
Suspend all imported goods destined for Turkey and transshipped in Israel
Suspension of all transshipment of Israeli-related third-country goods in Turkey
Suspend all empty containers loaded from Israel or destined for shipment to Israel
If a customer's new booking class has not yet been loaded between Israel and Turkey, or transshipped to Israel via Turkey as a transit port, Maersk will need to trigger a Change of Destination (COD) or cancel the booking in accordance with the above restrictions. Similarly, goods already in transit will need to return to the port of origin or be unloaded at a nearby hub port.
At the moment, there is no indication of when the Turkish government will lift the restrictions. Maersk said it is looking for the best solution for its customers' shipments and will communicate all contingency details to customers as soon as possible, including cash on delivery and cancellation terms.
How much impact the disruption of trade between the two countries has had on Israel
On April 9, Turkey's trade ministry said in a statement that Turkey would impose export restrictions on Israel on 54 products, including cement, steel, construction materials, and more, starting that day. The statement said the decision would remain in effect until Israel declares a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and allows continued humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip.
As a result of the worsening humanitarian tragedy in Palestine caused by Israel's brutal acts, Erdogan believes that Israel's attack on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is comparable to the Nazi massacre of Jews, and Turkey's decision to suspend all Israel-related imports and exports, covering all products, means that Turkey unilaterally declares a complete severance of economic relations with Israel.
This decision is undoubtedly a heavy economic blow for Israel. The two countries had maintained close political and economic ties. According to Erdogan, the trade volume between Turkey and Israel reached 9.5 billion US dollars, of which Israel imports more than 76%. Turkey imports mainly steel, machinery, minerals and fuels, as well as fresh produce and food.
To that end, Israeli Foreign Minister Katz said he had instructed officials to immediately engage with all relevant parties in the government to find a response, with a focus on encouraging domestic production and imports from other countries. Now, the abrupt severance of this trade relationship is undoubtedly worse for Israel, which is busy grappling with the challenges of war.
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