Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and 33 Senior Israeli Officials Will Be Tried in Absentia

FreeNews.TR/ The first hearing of the lawsuit filed due to the interventions in international waters against the Global Sumud Flotilla and the vessel Conscience, which set out to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, will be held on Friday, October 23, 2026, at 10:00 AM at the Istanbul 11th High Criminal Court. Heavy charges, including genocide, crimes against humanity, torture, and aggravated looting, are brought against 35 defendants, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Global Sumud Flotilla published a public announcement regarding the first hearing of the historical lawsuit filed within the scope of the investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. The announcement stated that the case file numbered 2026/108 will be heard on Friday, October 23, 2026, at 10:00 AM at the Istanbul 11th High Criminal Court (Istanbul Courthouse, Çağlayan).

The lawsuit was filed under the scope of universal jurisdiction. In the indictment, it is requested that 35 defendants, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, and high-ranking military commanders, be punished for the crimes of torture, deprivation of liberty, aggravated looting, hijacking of maritime transport vehicles, genocide, and crimes against humanity. 101 victims are represented in the case file.

In the announcement prepared by the Global Sumud Flotilla and the Association of Lawyers of Earth (WOLAS), it was emphasized that those responsible for the interventions against unarmed civilian vessels on the high seas, the detention of activists, and their exposure to ill-treatment must be held accountable. Arrest warrants have been issued for all of the defendants, and the Interpol Red Notice process is also underway.

Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek announced in his statement in August 2026 that an application had been made to the Ministry of Interior to issue a red notice in accordance with the arrest warrants issued against Netanyahu and another defendant for the crime of "genocide."

International dimension:
The Rome Public Prosecutor's Office is also conducting an investigation regarding the same events. Italian prosecutors included Defense Minister Katz and Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir, as well as Ben-Gvir, within the scope of the investigation regarding allegations of ill-treatment against Italian citizens who participated in the flotilla voyages in 2025 and 2026. It was also announced that the judicial authorities of ten countries held a coordination meeting within the body of Eurojust.

The Global Sumud Flotilla Legal Team called upon national and international bar associations, human rights monitoring organizations, civil society representatives, members of the press, and diplomatic representatives to personally observe and publicize the first hearing on October 23.

The hearing is evaluated as one of the most concrete examples where the legal responsibility for interventions against civilian aid vessels that set out to break the Gaza blockade is questioned in national courts.

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