Turkey Requests Netanyahu’s Arrest, Saying Israel Abused Flotilla Activists

Turkey Requests Netanyahu’s Arrest, Saying Israel Abused Flotilla Activists - The New York Times

Skip to contentSkip to site index

Middle East

Log in

Friday, August 21, 2026

Today’s Paper

* Home
* + U.S.
+ International
+ Canada
+ Español
+ 中文

Israel-Hamas

Cease-Fire

* Trump’s Gaza Plan
* Palestinian Teen Killed
* Deadly Strike in Gaza
* Hind Rajab Investigation
* West Bank Economy

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.

Supported by

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Turkey Requests Netanyahu’s Arrest, Saying Israel Abused Flotilla Activists

Turkey’s request for an Interpol ‘red notice’ came at a time of escalating tensions between the two countries.

Listen · 4:31 min

*
*
*

!Several boats are seen in a harbor. A few are festooned with red, black, white and green Palestinian flags.

*A flotilla of about 50 boats carrying humanitarian aid departed Marmaris, Turkey, in May, intending to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Israeli forces boarded the boats and detained 400 people.

Credit...

Dilara Senkaya/Reuters*

By

Zane Irwin

Aug. 21, 2026, 4:29 p.m. ET

See more of our coverage in your search results. Encuentra más de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de búsqueda. Add The New York Times on Google Agrega The New York Times en Google

Turkey issued a request to law enforcement agencies around the world on Friday to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, amid a Turkish investigation into allegations that Israeli soldiers tortured activists on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May.

The pursuit of an Interpol “red notice,” a nonbinding request to authorities worldwide to locate and temporarily arrest a fugitive, came as tensions have escalated in recent days between the two regional rivals, Israel and Turkey.

Akın Gürlek, Turkey’s justice minister, said in a statement that the request had been made “in connection with the armed intervention against civilians delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza in international waters and the detention of activists.”

There was no immediate comment on Turkey’s request from Interpol, the 196-member international criminal police organization based in Lyon, France, and it was unclear whether the request would be granted.

In May, Israel apprehended more than 400 activists on a flotilla of roughly 50 boats, which had set sail on the Mediterranean Sea from Turkey, as they tried to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. The activists said they had aimed to bring food and humanitarian aid to the enclave.

“We will not allow the crimes committed in Gaza to be covered up or the perpetrators to be shielded by impunity,” Mr. Gürlek said in his statement on social media, alleging that the activists had suffered abuse, including torture.

---

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit andlog intoyour Times account, orsubscribefor all of The Times.

---

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?Log in.

Want all of The Times?Subscribe.

Related Content

*
*
*
*
*
*

*
*
*

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Site Index

Site Information Navigation

* ©2026 The New York Times Company
* NYTCo
* Contact Us
* Accessibility
* Work with us
* Advertise
* T Brand Studio
* Privacy Policy
* Cookie Policy
* Terms of Service
* Terms of Sale
* Site Map
* Canada
* International
* Help
* Subscriptions
*