Turkey has requested that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be placed on Interpol's international wanted list through a 'red notice'. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Anadolu Agency.
Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced this, stating that the request is linked to a criminal case concerning an attack on activists of the international flotilla Sumud, which was delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
The trial is being held at the 11th Heavy Penal Court in Istanbul. The case involves 35 defendants, including Netanyahu and Afek Moskovich.
According to Gürlek, arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Moskovich were issued on July 14, 2026. Following this, the Turkish Ministry of Justice asked the Interior Ministry to initiate the issuance of Interpol 'red notices'. Necessary documents were also sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Turkish side accuses the defendants of actions against civilian activists in international waters. These are people who were trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
"We categorically disagree with the position that the Netanyahu administration has immunity and cannot be held accountable," Gürlek said.
According to him, the charges include crimes against humanity, genocide, illegal deprivation of liberty, intentional harm to health, torture, property damage, robbery, and vehicle theft.
The minister added that Turkey intends to use all mechanisms provided by national and international law to bring the perpetrators to justice.
It should be noted that an Interpol 'red notice' is not an international arrest warrant. It is a request to law enforcement agencies of member countries to locate and possibly temporarily detain a person pending extradition proceedings.
Netanyahu's office rejected the accusations, calling Ankara's actions an attempt by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to intimidate Israel's leadership and military personnel.