ISTANBUL, July 14. /TASS/. A Turkish court hearing the case of the "Sumud" humanitarian flotilla has issued an interim ruling in the proceedings, placing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the international wanted list via an Interpol red notice, Halk TV reported.
According to its information, the 11th Heavy Penal Court of Istanbul issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and other figures in the case on charges of crimes against humanity, genocide, deprivation of liberty, cruel treatment, intentional bodily harm, robbery, and seizure of vehicles. Earlier, the court initiated a criminal case against Netanyahu and 34 senior Israeli officials based on an indictment from the Istanbul prosecutor's office. The prosecution is seeking life imprisonment for them.
In November 2025, the Istanbul Prosecutor General’s Office issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, as well as Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli Army Eyal Zamir and several senior military officials, accusing them of "genocide and crimes against humanity" in the Gaza Strip, as well as violations against the Sumud flotilla, which tried to break through the naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave.
The Global Sumud Flotilla (which translates from Arabic as "steadfastness" or "resistance"), consisting of more than 40 ships from different countries, set sail from Tunisia towards Gaza in mid-September 2025. The mission’s goal was to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip and deliver humanitarian aid to its residents. Israeli authorities repeatedly stated that they considered the activists' actions to be provocative and would not allow their ships to approach the Gaza coast. As a result, Israeli Navy ships regularly intercept the flotilla’s ships, detaining activists and taking them to the Israeli coast. In May 2026, a flotilla of 54 vessels and 426 participants from 39 countries was intercepted by Israeli military forces.