Turkey Seeks Interpol Red Notice for Netanyahu Over Alleged Flotilla Abuse

Turkey has formally requested law enforcement agencies worldwide to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This move stems from a Turkish investigation into allegations that Israeli forces tortured activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May.

The effort to secure an Interpol “red notice”—a nonbinding request for authorities to locate and provisionally arrest a fugitive—coincides with escalating tensions between the two regional rivals.

Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek stated that the request was submitted “in connection with the armed intervention against civilians delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza in international waters and the detention of activists.”

Interpol, the 196-member international police organization headquartered in Lyon, France, has not yet commented on the request, leaving its approval uncertain.

In May, Israeli forces detained over 400 activists traveling on a fleet of approximately 50 boats that departed from Turkey. The vessels were attempting to breach the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza to deliver food and humanitarian supplies.

“We will not allow the crimes committed in Gaza to be covered up or the perpetrators to be shielded by impunity,” Gürlek declared on social media, citing allegations that the detained activists endured severe abuse and torture.

In response, the Israeli prime minister’s office issued a sharp rebuke of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on social media, labeling him an “antisemitic dictator” and accusing him of harboring Hamas militants and committing atrocities against the Kurds.

“Erdogan’s pathetic attempt to intimidate the leaders and soldiers of Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East, will go nowhere,” the statement read. It further accused the Turkish leader of attempting to extend his aggression toward Israel into Syrian territory.

Earlier this week, Israel executed airstrikes on a former military airbase in northwestern Syria. Israel announced via social media on Tuesday that the operation was intended to thwart a potential Turkish troop deployment in the region, a claim that Turkey has denied.

Following the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, which prompted Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, Turkish officials have fiercely condemned the bombardment, labeling it a genocide. President Erdogan has repeatedly condemned Netanyahu, at one point comparing him to Adolf Hitler. Turkey has also issued domestic arrest warrants for Netanyahu and dozens of other Israeli officials on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.

The Interpol red notice request, aimed at arresting a fugitive pending extradition or similar legal proceedings, marks the latest development concerning the activists who set out from Turkey on May 14.

Many participants anticipated detention before reaching Gaza, similar to the fate of previous flotilla participants. They hoped that widespread media coverage of their journey would highlight Israel’s stringent supply restrictions on the enclave—restrictions that intensified after the war began and, according to experts, later contributed to famine-like conditions in Gaza.

Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla, holding the activists on naval vessels before transferring them to a terrestrial detention facility. At the prison, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir recorded a video taunting the detainees, which he posted on social media. The footage displayed rows of activists handcuffed and forced to kneel on the ground.

Interviews with dozens of flotilla members revealed that Israeli soldiers allegedly beat, sexually assaulted, and fired rubber bullets at the activists, alongside other forms of physical mistreatment.

These accounts prompted widespread condemnation from international leaders and triggered investigations by prosecutors in nations such as France and Italy, as well as police authorities in Australia. Israel has categorically denied the accusations, asserting that the activists were treated in strict accordance with the law.

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