Turkiye refutes claim it supplied munitions to Israel

Turkiye has refuted claims of Turkish-made missiles being used by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, insisting that Ankara does not sell munitions to Tel Aviv.

In a post on X, Turkiye’s Centre for Countering Disinformation – part of the government’s Directorate of Communications – addressed recent images circulating on social media that claimed to show the shrapnel of missiles fired by the Israeli military on Gaza’s Shujaiyye neighbourhood.

In the images, the shrapnel piece can be seen to display the words “made by Turkey”, making it appear as if Turkiye or Turkish arms manufacturers have been actively delivering shipments of arms and munitions to Israeli occupation forces.

The claim made through multiple images uploaded on social media accounts with the description "Shell fragments from Turkish-made missiles used by the Israeli army in the Shujaiyye neighbourhood of Gaza" is false.

With regard to the defence industry, Türkiye and Israel do not… pic.twitter.com/TfuwaOmi6j

— Dezenformasyonla Mücadele Merkezi (@dmmiletisim) February 16, 2024

The Centre for Countering Disinformation branded the pictures and their claim “false”, stressing that regarding the defence industry, Turkiye and Israel “do not engage in ammunition trade, whether direct or indirect.”

It also pointed out that it is “unclear whether what is shown in the image in question is a part of any ammunition at all”, adding that “the Turkish defence industry does not use the term ‘made by’ for branding”.

The Centre laid the blame for the disinformation solely on Israel and its propaganda efforts, stating that “Israel not only commits genocide against the Gazans, but also attempts to mislead them into despair.” It also highlighted previous claims and reports that Pakistan had been supplying munitions to Israel, which Islamabad firmly denied.

“Pay no heed to any Israeli propaganda”, the Centre for Countering Disinformation warned.

READ: Israeli leadership ‘busy spewing lies about Turkiye’: Turkish Communications Director