Turkey has requested Interpol red notices against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and another suspect, as part of a domestic criminal case related to a violent raid against activists on board the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said arrest warrants had been issued for Mr Netanyahu and another person on charges including genocide, crimes against humanity, torture, property damage and hijacking of means of transport.
The move is part of a case against 35 people over the Israeli offensive in international waters. Interpol has not indicated whether it has accepted the request.
Mr Netanyahu is already wanted under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
An Interpol Red Notice is a request to law enforcement authorities worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. It is not an international arrest warrant.
Istanbul's 11th High Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Mr Netanyahu and the other suspect on July 14.
Reports said Afek Moskovitch, an Israeli army lieutenant alleged to have been involved in the destruction of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital in Gaza, was the other suspect.
Mr Gurlek said judicial proceedings were continuing over the alleged armed intervention against civilians delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza in international waters and the detention of activists.
He said the arrest warrants had prompted the Justice Ministry to ask the Interior Ministry to seek Interpol Red Notices for the two suspects. The documents were also forwarded to the Foreign Ministry.
“We will not allow the crimes committed in Gaza to be covered up or those responsible to be protected by a shield of impunity,” Mr Gurlek added.
“We will resolutely use all means available under national and international law."
The Global Sumud Flotilla, also called the Gaza Flotilla, is a civilian mission seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
It set sail from the Turkish port of Marmaris on May 14 with dozens of boats carrying more than 400 activists from about 40 countries. Israeli forces intercepted the vessels in international waters on May 18-19, about 460 kilometres from Gaza, and detained all 429 people on board, according to organisers. Most were deported to Istanbul on May 21.
It was the sixth flotilla to set sail for Gaza since the start of the war in the enclave, which was sparked by the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
After returning home, several participants alleged they had been beaten or otherwise mistreated in Israeli custody.
An Australian activist, Juliet Lamont, said she was dragged, beaten and sexually assaulted, and described the four-day detention as “absolute hell”. Another, Sam Woripa Watson, said he suffered a fractured rib and saw activists being tasered and hit with rubber bullets. These claims were denied by Israeli authorities.
