The goods exchange of Türkiye with Israel continues to decline since the Israeli military offensive on Gaza was launched last year, according to official data.

Turkish officials have repeatedly stressed that all state enterprises had halted any exchange and that the remaining trade with Israel is being carried out by private companies, most with foreign ownership.

The overall bilateral trade volume has fallen by nearly 33% from Oct. 7 through March 20 this year, according to data from the Trade Ministry.

Türkiye's exports to Israel fell by 30%, while its imports decreased by 43.4%, the data showed.

The Israeli air and ground strikes have turned vast areas of Gaza into ruins and have killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities.

The indiscriminate attacks came after the Palestinian resistance group Hamas' surprise cross-border attack that killed about 1,200 Israelis.

The conflict has prompted many Turkish nationals and companies to gradually cancel sales and orders with Israel.

Goods sent from Türkiye pass through Israel and its customs gates due to Palestine's lack of its own customs facilities.

Goods destined for Palestine are required to be labeled for Israel or include the phrase "via Israel."

In addition, Israel does not recognize legal relations between Palestine and third countries, and it refuses to allow commercial transactions through the Rafah Border Crossing with Egypt.

As a result, trade between third countries and Palestine is logged overwhelmingly as trade with Israel in data reflected in national statistics.

Almost 75,900 Palestinians have been injured by Israeli strikes amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities. Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the U.N.

Israel is accused of genocide by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which last week asked it to do more to prevent famine in Gaza.

Palestine relies on Turkish agricultural goods

Officials and farmers say Palestine relies heavily on Turkish products specialized in fertilizers and agricultural pesticides.

Türkiye ranks third after China and Israel in terms of importing products to Palestine, Mohammed Abidin, a member of the Palestine Industrial Federation Board of Directors, told Anadolu Agency (AA).

Abidin said that food and clothing are among the top products his country imports from the rest of the world via Israel.

"Due to the occupation and the lack of control by the Palestinian Authority over ports and airports, all goods imported to Palestine reach through Israeli ports," he explained.

"These ports levy a customs duty on goods imported on behalf of the Palestinian Authority," Abidin noted.

There has been a nearly 15% rise in products imported from Türkiye to Palestine since the conflict started.

Abidin attributed the increase to the Houthi attacks targeting cargo ships passing through the Red Sea, one of the most important and densely packed shipping channels in the world.

The Houthis, who control Yemen's capital and most populous areas, have attacked international shipping in the Red Sea since November in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians, drawing U.S. and British retaliatory strikes.

"Amid the instability in the Red Sea, Türkiye has become a quick solution for Palestine, as well as a significant alternative for many materials and products imported from China," he added.

Palestinian farmer Mohammad Ebu Sabit hailed the high quality of Turkish fertilizers and agricultural pesticides.

Ebu Sabit, 49, has 5 acres of farmland in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank, where he grows tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchinis.

"In the past 10 years, most Palestinian farmers have become dependent on Turkish fertilizers and pesticide varieties," he told Anadolu Agency (AA).

Mazen Abu Jeish, a farmer from the town of Beit Dajan, east of Nablus, recently started to use Turkish medicines and fertilizers on his own farm.

"The prices of Turkish fertilizers are affordable and with good quality," he said.

The Turkish pesticides "are a good alternative to Israeli products, which we must boycott," he added.

Abu Jeish voiced hope to reduce taxes on Turkish fertilizers.

"I rely on Turkish fertilizers and products for almost 60% of my needs, and I aim to fully depend on them because Turkish goods have a good quality."

Tamer Abu Ghneim, another farmer in the same town who owns plastic greenhouses, said he is now using fertilizers coming from Türkiye.

"The Turkish product is effective and strong against diseases for vegetable and fruit production, and its prices are low, suitable, and inexpensive for farmers," he added.

The Palestinian farmer explained that he saves on costs and achieves good production when he uses Turkish fertilizers instead of Israeli fertilizers.