The Istanbul 11th Criminal Court has issued an international arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and requested an Interpol Red Notice, Turkish media reported on Tuesday. The court accuses Netanyahu of crimes against humanity, genocide, torture, and unlawful deprivation of liberty over the Israeli navy’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in October 2025. The civilian convoy was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza when it was boarded in international waters, and hundreds of activists were detained.

Turkish judicial authorities launched the investigation after medical professionals who examined the deported activists submitted evidence of crimes against humanity to the court. The Turkish foreign ministry has described the Israeli naval operation as an act of piracy and a grave breach of international law. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has repeatedly condemned Netanyahu over Israel’s military campaigns, stated that Ankara remains committed to supporting what it calls victims of Israeli aggression. The Turkish prosecution is seeking aggravated life imprisonment for Netanyahu and other Israeli officials named in the case.

The Turkish move adds a new layer to the international legal pressure on Netanyahu. In November 2024, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) requested arrest warrants for Netanyahu and then-defence minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza war. That process was delayed after the United Kingdom, as a “friend of the court,” submitted independent expert opinions, and the United States imposed sanctions on the ICC in February 2025, with President Donald Trump accusing the court of abusing its powers. Neither Israel nor the US is a party to the Rome Statute, which critics cite as a jurisdictional obstacle.

Viewed from Jerusalem, the Turkish warrant is likely to be seen as a political gesture. Israeli officials have not yet commented, but the government has consistently rejected the jurisdiction of foreign courts over its military operations. The Interpol request now places the organisation’s secretariat in Lyon in a sensitive position: it must decide whether to circulate a Red Notice for a sitting head of government, a step that would carry significant diplomatic repercussions. The Turkish court has asserted jurisdiction under international maritime law, given that the flotilla was seized in international waters.

The dossier now moves to Interpol’s legal review. If a Red Notice is published, any of Interpol’s 196 member countries could be asked to provisionally arrest Netanyahu should he travel there. The Turkish prosecution’s final indictment, with charges including genocide and crimes against humanity, has been submitted to the court, and a trial in absentia is expected to proceed in Istanbul. The case is likely to deepen Turkey’s diplomatic rift with Israel and further polarise the international debate over accountability for actions in the Palestinian territories.