Türkiye has sought an international arrest warrant for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of "genocide" linked to Israel's interception of an aid flotilla for Gaza, the justice minister announced on Friday.
Türkiye has become a virulent critic of Israel's war in Gaza, sparked by the Hamas October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has frequently accused Netanyahu of "genocide".
Israel's interception of the flotilla carrying some 430 activists in May sparked an international outcry. France, Italy and Australia have also launched judicial proceedings.
Türkiye's Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said on X that his ministry had asked the interior ministry to issue Interpol red notice alerts for Netanyahu and another Israeli, named Afek Moskovitch.
"As part of the judicial proceedings concerning the attack in international waters on the Flotilla activists (...) and in accordance with the arrest warrants issued on July 14, 2026, against Benjamin Netanyahu and Afek Moskovitch for 'genocide,' the ministry of justice has requested that the ministry of the interior issue red notices for their international arrest," the minister stated.
Netanyahu and Moskovitch are being prosecuted for "crimes against humanity, genocide, aggravated deprivation of liberty, 'intentional assault and battery,' torture, destruction of property, aggravated looting, and hijacking of transport vehicles," the ministry said.
About 50 vessels were in the Global Sumud Flotilla that left Türkiye in May heading for the besieged Palestinian territory. The activists were detained in the Mediterranean by the Israeli military and then taken to an Israeli prison before being expelled.
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir caused his own outcry by releasing a video showing himself taunting some of the flotilla activists who were on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs.
Meanwhile, an Israeli man guarding a group of Jewish settlers who walked onto Palestinian village land on Friday opened fire towards Palestinians who confronted them, killing a 17-year-old and wounding a 70-year-old man, officials said.
The incident in the occupied West Bank village of Sa'ir followed the latest in what the Israeli military describes as 'unauthorised hikes' by settlers, who enter the outskirts of villages in what Palestinians view as an act of intimidation.
The Palestinian villagers threw rocks toward the settlers, "who were present in the area without advance authorisation", the military said in a statement. Some of the settlers were injured, it added.
"A security official opened fire in the area, and there are Palestinian casualties as a result of the shooting," the military said.
Palestinian officials said a 17-year-old boy died after being shot in the chest. The condition of the 70-year-old was not immediately clear.
The village of Sa'ir sits near the city of Hebron in a southern West Bank area under Palestinian Authority civil control and where Israelis are generally prohibited from entering. The West Bank, home to 3 million Palestinians and some 500,000 settlers, has seen a rise in settler violence and seizures of land and resources. A siege by settlers of homes in the village of Qusra this week drew international condemnation.
UN bodies and most countries view the settlements as illegal under international law regarding military occupations. Israel disputes this, citing biblical links to the area. - AFP
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
