Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by Turkey, Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said on Friday. The warrant forms part of a Turkish investigation into Israel’s interception of a Gaza-bound activist flotilla, Gurlek said in a post on X.
Netanyahu and several senior Israeli officials were already wanted under earlier Turkish warrants accusing them of “genocide” over the Gaza war. Israel rejects the genocide allegations entirely.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack triggered the war in Gaza, and Friday’s warrant marks the latest step in that decline. Turkey has hosted Hamas leaders throughout the conflict, while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has praised the group and repeatedly attacked Israel. Ankara has also cut trade ties and suspended direct flights with Israel.
A flotilla bound for Gaza has caused friction between Turkey and Israel before. Ten Turkish activists died in 2010 when Israeli naval commandos stormed a Gaza-bound flotilla, sparking a diplomatic rift between the two countries at the time.
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