Türkiye has begun trying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 34 other Israeli defendants over the interception of Gaza-bound aid vessels and the alleged mistreatment of activists, with none of the accused present in court.
The first hearing took place at Istanbul’s 11th High Criminal Court on Friday 23 October. Among the defendants are Defence Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and military chief Eyal Zamir. Charges include torture, unlawful deprivation of liberty, causing injury and aggravated robbery.
The proceedings centre on Israel’s interception of the 2025 Global Sumud Flotilla, an international civilian initiative seeking to deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza and challenge Israel’s naval blockade. Participants were detained and taken to Israel before being deported.
According to the Anadolu Agency’s account of the indictment, Turkish participants returned home on flights on 4, 7, 9 and 10 October 2025. Prosecutors allege that civilians were forcibly removed from their vessels and transferred to another country against their will, violating their liberty and exposing them to mistreatment.
The case involves 101 complainants, according to organisations supporting the proceedings. The Global Sumud Flotilla movement says its legal campaign seeks accountability throughout the chain of command, alongside the recovery of confiscated vessels and the lifting of the Gaza blockade.
At Friday’s hearing, participants described alleged abuses during their detention. Doctor Osman Çetinkaya told the court he had joined the flotilla to deliver medical supplies, but Israeli soldiers confiscated five or six boxes from his vessel.
Another complainant, Zeynep Tekocak, said she underwent two strip searches and was mocked after refusing to remove her headscarf. Turkish MP Sema Silkin Ün said she and approximately 80 others were held in a poorly ventilated room and prevented from sleeping.
“We were not even allowed to close our eyes where we were held. Sleeping was forbidden,” Ün told the court, according to Anadolu.
The judges ordered an investigation into Turkish nationals whom complainants alleged had participated in their mistreatment in Israeli custody. Tekocak testified that one soldier involved in her detention had told her he was from Yozgat in central Türkiye.
The hearing also addressed efforts to pursue allegations concerning the wider treatment of Gaza’s civilian population. Although prosecutors describe Israel’s actions in Gaza in terms of genocide and crimes against humanity, the judges said those allegations were presented only generally and indirectly in an indictment focused primarily on the flotilla.
The court therefore asked prosecutors to consider a separate indictment setting out specific alleged crimes against civilians in Gaza and the evidence supporting them. It also sought relevant International Criminal Court documents and a UN report through Türkiye’s Justice Ministry.
Existing arrest warrants against the 35 defendants remain in place. The court also ordered inquiries into whether they own assets in Türkiye, although no asset freezes or confiscation orders were reported. Türkiye’s requests for Interpol Red Notices remain in effect, but there is no confirmation that Interpol has issued the notices.
A Red Notice asks police internationally to locate and provisionally arrest someone pending extradition or similar proceedings. It is not an international arrest warrant, and countries apply their own laws when deciding whether to act.
The Turkish proceedings come amid a separate investigation in Italy following complaints from 50 Italian flotilla participants. Italian prosecutors have named Katz, Ben-Gvir, Zamir and other senior officials as suspects over alleged abuses during missions in 2025 and 2026.
Israel maintains that its naval blockade of Gaza is lawful.
The Istanbul case was adjourned until 30 March 2027.
Main image, top, of Netanyahu addresses a joint session of Congress in Washington, D.C. with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator Ben Cardin, 24 July 2024. Photo © Office of Speaker Mike Johnson / X.com / Wikimedia
