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TÜRKIYE and Israel have traded blistering accusations after Ankara sought an international arrest notice against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over allegations of genocide and other offences arising from the interception of an aid flotilla bound for Gaza.
Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said his ministry had asked the Interior Ministry to issue an Interpol red notice against Netanyahu and another Israeli national, Afek Moskovitch.
He said the move followed judicial proceedings over an attack in international waters involving activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was carrying aid to Gaza.
Netanyahu and Moskovitch face allegations including crimes against humanity, genocide, aggravated deprivation of liberty, intentional assault and ill-treatment, torture and the destruction of property.
Israel swiftly dismissed Ankara’s move, with Netanyahu’s office saying the country was unmoved by what it described as “Turkey’s hypocrisy”.
“Erdogan is an antisemitic dictator who murders Kurds, supports the killing by the terrorist group Hamas and oppresses his own people,” AFP reported Netanyahu’s office saying.
It added that Israel would continue to act firmly against what it described as Turkish efforts to destabilise the region.
The office of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded by dismissing the Israeli statement as an excessive display of “empty rhetoric”, accusing Netanyahu’s government of attempting to evade accountability.
It said Netanyahu and his allies also appeared to be seeking political advantage ahead of Israel’s forthcoming election.
Around 50 vessels took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail from Türkiye in May with the aim of reaching Gaza.
The activists were intercepted by Israeli forces in the Mediterranean Sea, detained and taken to Israeli prisons before later being deported.
Türkiye has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, with Erdogan repeatedly accusing Netanyahu of committing genocide. – August 22, 2026