ANKARA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Turkey blocked access to

social media platform Instagram on Friday for failing to comply

with the country's "laws and rules", a government minister said.

The move came after a senior Turkish official accused

the platform of blocking condolence posts following the

assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, leader of Palestinian militant

group Hamas.

"We warned Instagram about certain offences. We want some

rules to be followed ... We intervene when they disregard legal

rules and public sensitivities." Transportation and

Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said.

"We are in contact with them. Our sensitivities are clear,

as soon as they correct those shortcomings, we will remove the

ban. This is a country with laws and rules." Uraloglu added.

He did not clarify what the shortcomings were.

Access to Instagram has been restricted in Turkey following

the ban implemented by authorities following a court order on

Friday, internet observatory NetBlocks said.

Turkish communications official Fahrettin Altun on Wednesday

criticised Instagram for what he called its decision to block

condolence posts after Haniyeh was killed in Tehran.

"This is censorship, pure and simple," Altun, the

communications director of the Turkish presidency, said on X.

There was no immediate comment from Instagram parent Meta

Platforms Inc ( META ) on either the ban or Altun's comments.

Turkey's Information Technologies and Communication

Authority (BTK) published the Aug. 2 decision on its website.