Turkey requests international arrest notice for Netanyahu
Turkey has formally requested international arrest notices for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of genocide over Israel's interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May. The announcement was made on Friday by Justice Minister Akin Gurlek, who said his ministry had asked the interior ministry to issue Interpol red notice alerts for Netanyahu and another Israeli, named as Afek Moskovitch.
Gurlek wrote on X that the request followed arrest warrants issued on July 14, 2026, against Netanyahu and Moskovitch for genocide. The two are being prosecuted, according to the justice ministry, for "crimes against humanity, genocide, aggravated deprivation of liberty, intentional assault and battery, torture, destruction of property, aggravated looting, and hijacking of transport vehicles."
The flotilla incident
The legal action is linked to the interception of an aid flotilla carrying some 430 activists that left Turkey in May heading for Gaza. About 50 vessels were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, according to Dawn. The activists were detained in the Mediterranean by the Israeli military and taken to an Israeli prison before being expelled.
Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir drew his own outcry by releasing a video showing himself taunting flotilla activists who were on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs, as reported by Dawn.
Dawn reported that France, Italy, and Australia have also launched judicial proceedings related to the incident.
Turkey's broader criticism of Netanyahu
Separately, Omer Celik, spokesman for Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, accused Netanyahu's government of destabilising the Middle East and undermining the situation in Syria, and called on the international community to oppose Netanyahu. Celik wrote on X that "the activities of Netanyahu's genocide network will bring nothing but greater chaos and mass killings to the region."
Celik listed actions he attributed to that network: "genocide in Gaza, actions aimed at turning the West Bank into the Gaza Strip, attacks on the Iranian people, occupation of part of Lebanon, and persecution of Syria." He added that "every time the Syrian government takes steps to ensure the country's internal integrity, Israel immediately strikes."
Celik also said Netanyahu "is attacking Turkish President [Recep Tayyip Erdogan] because of pressure from domestic Israeli politics." He said Erdogan "takes the most decisive stance against this network of killers" and condemns "this network of genocide." "It is extremely important that the day comes when this network is held accountable before the law. The entire international community must unanimously stand up to Netanyahu in the name of its own dignity," Celik said.
Background
Dawn noted that Turkey has become a "virulent critic" of Israel's war in Gaza, which was sparked by the Hamas October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. President Erdogan has frequently accused Netanyahu of genocide. The latest legal step and the party spokesman's remarks come against that backdrop.