The arrest warrant announcement on Friday came from Turkey's Justice Minister Akin Gurlek on X. Turkey is investigating Israel's efforts to stop ships carrying civilians that tried to reach the population of war-torn Gaza during the war between Hamas and Israel, with Hamas designated a terrorist group.
The ships were carrying, among other things, infant formula, food and medical supplies when they were stopped by the Israeli military. The supplies were seized and several crew members were detained.
Turkey has previously criticized Israel's actions. Turkey has now also issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and other leading Israeli figures in connection with the war in Gaza. Turkey is investigating whether Israel has committed genocide.
Netanyahu responded to Ankara's move on Friday by attacking Turkey and President Erdogan. Through his office, Netanyahu announced that Israel "continues to act forcefully against Turkey's attempts to destabilize the region."
Netanyahu then launched a personal attack on the Turkish leader, reports the Times of Israel newspaper:
“Erdogan is an anti-Semitic dictator who massacres Kurds, supports the massacres of the terrorist organization Hamas, and oppresses his own people.”
