Turkey on Friday asked law enforcement agencies around the world to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Ankara investigates allegations that Israeli soldiers tortured activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla earlier this year.
Turkish authorities are seeking an Interpol “red notice,” a nonbinding request asking authorities worldwide to locate and temporarily arrest a fugitive. The move comes amid escalating tensions between Turkey and Israel, two regional rivals increasingly at odds over Gaza and Syria.
Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said the request was connected to Israel’s interception of civilians attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza in international waters and the subsequent detention of activists.
Interpol, the 196-member international criminal police organization headquartered in Lyon, France, did not immediately comment. It remains unclear whether Turkey’s request will be approved.
The dispute stems from a flotilla of roughly 50 boats that departed Turkey in May carrying more than 400 activists. The activists said they were attempting to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver food and humanitarian assistance to the enclave.
Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla and detained the activists, initially holding them aboard Israeli ships before transferring them to a prison on land.
Gürlek alleged that activists suffered abuse, including torture, and vowed that Turkey would continue pursuing the case.
Israel quickly fired back, with Netanyahu’s office issuing a blistering statement targeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Israeli prime minister’s office called Erdogan “an antisemitic dictator” and accused him of harboring Hamas militants, massacring Kurds and committing other alleged offenses.
“Erdogan’s pathetic attempt to intimidate the leaders and soldiers of Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East, will go nowhere,” Netanyahu’s office said. The statement also accused Erdogan of attempting to expand his “aggression against Israel into Syria.”
The confrontation follows Israeli airstrikes earlier this week against a defunct military air base in northwestern Syria. Israel said the strikes were intended to prevent Turkish troops from deploying there. Turkey denied that such a deployment was planned.
Relations between the countries have deteriorated sharply since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel and Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza. Turkish officials have accused Israel of genocide, while Erdogan has repeatedly condemned Netanyahu and previously compared him to Hitler.
Turkey has also issued domestic arrest warrants for Netanyahu and dozens of other Israeli officials on allegations of genocide and crimes against humanity.
The flotilla activists left Turkey on May 14, with many expecting Israeli forces to detain them before they reached Gaza. Their journey was intended in part to draw international attention to Israeli restrictions on supplies entering the territory.
Dozens of flotilla members later alleged that Israeli soldiers subjected activists to beatings, sexual assault, rubber bullets and other physical abuse. Those allegations prompted condemnations and investigations in several countries.
Israel has denied the accusations, maintaining that the detained activists were treated in accordance with the law.
