Türkiye Issues Arrest Warrant for Netanyahu Over Gaza Aid Blockade
Türkiye has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and another Israeli national over alleged obstruction of humanitarian aid to Gaza, with Ankara seeking to pursue the warrant internationally.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Türkiye has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and another Israeli national, accusing them of obstructing the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip.
On Friday, Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said in a post on X that the warrant was issued as part of legal proceedings related to the obstruction of humanitarian aid destined for Gaza.
Gürlek said the warrant concerned the obstruction of what he described as “freedom flotilla” vessels that set sail for the Gaza Strip in April but were stopped by Israeli forces, with some members of the vessels’ crews detained.
The Turkish justice minister said Ankara had also asked the Turkish Interior Ministry to begin the process of pursuing an international arrest request for Netanyahu.
Gürlek said Netanyahu was accused of involvement in what he described as the mass killing of people in Gaza.
Bahçeli calls for ‘Jerusalem Pact’
On the same day, Devlet Bahçeli, leader of Türkiye’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), issued a strong warning to Israeli authorities against testing Türkiye’s restraint and targeting Syrian territory.
Bahçeli called on Israel to immediately stop testing Türkiye’s patience and encouraging the country’s opponents.
He said Israel’s continued attacks on Syrian territory and the region’s security infrastructure represented direct threats that Ankara would not accept under any circumstances.
Bahçeli said that while Türkiye was strategically focused on strengthening its domestic front and advancing the “Türkiye without Terror” project, Israel was attempting to disrupt that stability.
According to Bahçeli, Tel Aviv fears Türkiye’s unity and the normalization of its relations with neighboring countries and seeks to protect its interests in the region by creating instability and disorder.
As a strategic response, Bahçeli proposed establishing a military alliance under the name “Jerusalem Pact”, based on what he described as the Mecca Agreement previously signed between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
He proposed that the alliance operate as an Islamic peacekeeping force to prevent what he described as Israeli aggression and violations in the region.
Bahçeli also reiterated that Ankara would not allow the map of the Middle East to be redrawn according to the wishes of foreign countries.
He called for an official statement from Ankara as a clear message that Türkiye would not remain silent in the face of any expected violation of its territorial sovereignty.
The move comes amid heightened tensions between Türkiye and Israel, including over developments in Syria.
On Aug. 19, US envoy Tom Barrack said Israel and Türkiye had come within one step of a direct military confrontation following an Israeli strike on Syria’s Abu Zuhour air base.
According to the background information provided, Barrack said the Israeli airstrike represented a warning of a potential direct war between Tel Aviv and Ankara.
Israel informed White House officials before carrying out the strike, according to Axios, citing US and Israeli officials. Israel told Washington that the objective was to prevent Türkiye from building up military forces and sending advanced weapons systems to Syria.
At least eight bombs struck runways and several aircraft hangars at Abu Zuhour air base in northern Syria. The strike damaged recently renovated runways but caused no casualties.
A Turkish official rejected claims that Türkiye had forces stationed at the Syrian air base and accused Israel of creating pretexts to bomb neighboring countries and undermine regional stability.
The Turkish presidency also said claims made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were intended to justify what it described as illegal airstrikes.
Ankara said it would continue cooperating with the Syrian government to establish security and stability, while stressing that it would not allow Syria to fall into instability.
US officials told Reuters that they believed some motives behind Israel’s strike were linked to Israel’s October elections, while the Trump administration urged the Syrian government to exercise restraint.
The latest Turkish legal move against Netanyahu adds another dimension to the strained relationship between Ankara and Tel Aviv, as concerns over potential military escalation between the two countries remain under scrutiny.