Turkish court judges Netanyahu in absentia for intercepting flotilla

Uthe trial in Turkey today began in absentia of 35 Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, by the interception of the Sumud Global Flotilla, which attempted to reach Gaza in 2025.

The process takes place at the Istanbul High Criminal Court and involves charges of crimes against humanity, genocide, illegal deprivation of freedom, torture, material damage and kidnapping or retention of means of transport.

The Turkish Public Prosecutor's Office asks for aggravated life sentences and accumulated convictions that can reach almost 4,600 years in prison for each of the accused.

In addition to Netanyahu, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Eyal Zamir, are among the defendants.

According to the complaint, the interception of civilian vessels in international waters cannot be considered a simple security operation, taking into account the circumstances in which it occurred.

The Turkish prosecutors claim that the Israeli authorities involved in the military operation held different positions in the state apparatus and acted in a coordinated, planned and systematic manner.

The Sumud Global Flotilla, made up of dozens of vessels with hundreds of international activists, including Portuguese, sought to reach Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid and challenge Israel's maritime blockade of the Palestinian enclave.

In October 2025, Israeli forces intercepted the ships and detained hundreds of participants, including numerous Turkish citizens, who were transported to Israeli territory.

The activists were later released and repatriated, and some reported alleged mistreatment during detention.

For almost two decades Israel has maintained a maritime, land and air blockade of the Gaza enclave, while Egypt also imposes restrictions on movement across its border with Palestinian territory.

The judicial process arises in the context of strong diplomatic tensions between Turkey and Israel, aggravated by the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip, which began in October 2023, following the attacks of the extremist Hamas group on Israeli soil.

The Turkish Government, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been one of the most critical of Israeli military operations in Palestinian territory, while maintaining political contacts with leaders of the Hamas Islamist movement.

The war in Gaza began after Hamas' attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023, which triggered an Israeli military offensive during which more than 74,000 people died in Palestinian territory over the next two years.

A ceasefire has been in force in the Palestinian enclave since 10 October 2025.

Israel and Hamas have exchanged accusations of violations of the truce since then and Israeli attacks have been almost daily, while negotiations for the next stages of the peace process, on a roadmap proposed by the United States, remain at a standstill.

In May 2024, Ankara announced the official suspension of trade in goods with Israel, interrupting economic relations that the two countries had maintained despite previous periods of diplomatic tension.