World Bulletin / News Desk

Israeli supermarkets have been boycotting Turkish products in protest against Turkey's support for the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, amid Israeli deadly bombardment of civilian-packed areas.

Rami Levi and Blue Square and emptied their shelves of Turkish products, and said that they will not renew their stock of Israeli brand names that base their production in Turkey.

Israel's Channel 10 reported that the boycotts would lead to a loss of $93 million from the markets.
Brand For You CEO Rafi Sheffer also said that his firm has not yet decided on whether or not to boycott Turkish products.

Super Sol, one of Israel's biggest supermarkets, is also expected to join the boycott, despite Turkish products costing much less than other brands.

On Sunday, Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan fiercely criticized Israel's offensive in Gaza, comparing it to atrocities carried out by Adolf Hitler during World War Two.

Erdogan said: "Israelis curse and swear about Hitler day and night for the Holocaust, but now the terrorist state of Israel has surpassed Hitler with its atrocities in Gaza."

"Turkey will not remain silent on the ongoing cruelty because a great state does not remain silent and unmoved, but mediates and strives for peace,” he warned.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile said the remarks by his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan were "anti-Semitic," Israeli media reported.

Israeli daily The Jerusalem Post quoted diplomatic officials as saying that Netanyahu spoke to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry overnight on Sunday about the ongoing military operation against the Gaza Strip, and said that "Erdogan's anti-Semitic comments profaned the memory of the Holocaust.”

However, Netanyahu’s office did not officially confirm the remarks, which were also reported by Israeli daily Haaretz.

“I cannot officially confirm what the two leaders spoke on the phone,” Netanyahu's spokesman Mark Regev told Anadolu Agency on Sunday.

Since July 7, Israel has been pounding the besieged Gaza Strip with air and naval bombardments with the stated aim of halting rocket attacks.

At least At least 509 Palestinians have been killed and more than 3000 injured since the Israeli assault began.

Israel's military operation, dubbed operation "Protective Edge," is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against Gaza in the last six years.