Protests erupted at a port in Istanbul on Thursday leading to firing in the air by security guards as an Israeli ship docked in the Turkish city. The incident took place at the Port of Ambarli, a major Turkish seaport located on the northern shore of the Sea of Marmara.
The vessel, belonging to Israeli shipping company ZIM has been docking at various Turkish ports for days and arrived at the Port of Ambarli on Thursday evening, according to local media reports. However, a pro-Palestinian group gathered in protest, chanting "No Zionism in our ports" as they demonstrated against the presence of Israeli vessels.
Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and captured the vessel, reported Iran's Mehr News Agency.
The footage of the protest has been widely shared on social media where one protestor was heard saying: "These containers are destined for Israel. We’ve stopped them and won’t let this continue."
Another demonstrator pointed to a tag on a container and said, "Look, friends, it’s clearly marked for Haifa, Israel.”
“Trade with Zionism is an insult to humanity,” chanted another protestor, echoed by fellow demonstrators, standing in front of a container.
Tensions escalated when port security guards fired warning shots into the air in an attempt to disperse the crowd. The police intervened and blocked protestors from approaching the ZIM containers and secured the area.
Turkey has been accused of continuing trade with Israel despite imposing a ban this year following a public outcry over Israel's military action in Gaza.
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Meanwhile, on Sunday, 31 people were killed in Israeli airstrike in Gaza Strip, said Palestinian medics, with nearly half of the deaths in northern areas, reported Reuters.
Palestinians dubbed the new aerial and ground offensives and forced evacuations as "ethnic cleansing aimed at emptying two northern Gaza towns and a refugee camp of their population in order to create buffer zones."
Israel has denied the charge saying it is fighting Hamas militants who launch attacks from there.