Turkey seeks Netanyahu arrest warrant over ‘genocide’ in Gaza flotilla raid

Turkey has issued a request for an international arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of “genocide” linked to Israel’s interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, the country’s justice minister announced Friday. The move deepens a diplomatic rift between Ankara and Jerusalem. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly described Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as “genocide,” and Friday’s announcement marks a formal legal step. The warrant relates to Israel’s May raid on a flotilla carrying about 430 activists. That operation triggered widespread international criticism. Governments in France, Italy, and Australia were among those that voiced concern at the time. Turkey’s justice minister confirmed the request but gave no further details on which international body would process it. Israel has rejected previous accusations of genocide as baseless.