An İstanbul court has ordered an application for an INTERPOL Red Notice for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in connection with Israel’s interception of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla in October 2025, the pro-government Sabah daily reported on Tuesday.
The İstanbul 11th High Criminal Court issued the interim decision during the trial in absentia of Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials, according to Sabah.
The court said the request was intended to secure Netanyahu’s appearance at the proceedings.
The decision does not mean that INTERPOL has issued a Red Notice. Turkey must submit the request to the international police organization, which will review it for compliance with its rules.
A Red Notice is a request to police worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or other legal action.
It is not an international arrest warrant, and each INTERPOL member country decides what legal effect to give it.
Turkish prosecutors indicted Netanyahu and 34 other senior Israeli officials in April over the interception of the flotilla, accusing them of crimes against humanity, genocide, property damage, aggravated robbery, intentional injury, torture, obstructing or seizing transportation vehicles and unlawfully depriving people of their liberty.
The case stems from the Global Sumud Flotilla, a large activist convoy that set sail in 2025 in an attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid, including medical supplies.
The flotilla included about 50 vessels and more than 500 activists from several countries, including Turkey.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation on October 2, 2025, into the detention of Turkish citizens aboard the flotilla.
Prosecutors said Israeli security forces intercepted the vessels in international waters without a legal basis, forced them to stop and detained and physically assaulted civilians on board, allegations that are being examined by the İstanbul court.
The investigation was later expanded, and on November 7, 2025, Turkish courts issued detention warrants for Netanyahu and 36 other senior Israeli officials.
Those named at the time included Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, former military chief Herzi Halevi and former Israeli Navy commander David Saar Salama.
The April indictment covered 35 officials, although a complete public list was not released, leaving it unclear which two people named in the earlier warrant decision were excluded.
The trial is continuing before the İstanbul 11th High Criminal Court.
The case is not the first time Turkey has pursued criminal proceedings against senior Israeli officials over the interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
In 2010 Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara in international waters, killing 10 people and triggering Turkish indictments for four former Israeli commanders.
Israel and Turkey reached a normalization agreement in June 2016 under which Israel transferred $20 million to a Turkish government account for distribution to victims’ families. Turkey agreed to pass legislation barring criminal and civil claims against Israeli soldiers and preventing future lawsuits.
Following the agreement, an İstanbul court dropped the Mavi Marmara case in December 2016 and revoked the warrants issued for the Israeli officers, drawing strong objections from victims’ families and their lawyers.