Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered government officials to begin preparing a case at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, over Turkey’s treatment of its Kurdish population and its alleged funding of Hamas.

The Israeli television network i24NEWS reported on Sunday that Netanyahu had instructed an interministerial team and the head of the International Law Department at Israel’s Justice Ministry to compile a comprehensive legal file.

The order reportedly came after Erdogan announced that he had asked Interpol to issue a red notice, an international request to locate and provisionally arrest a wanted person, against Netanyahu. Turkish authorities, who sought the notice in August, accused Netanyahu and another Israeli official of offences including genocide and crimes against humanity.

According to the broadcaster, the Interpol request was only one of a series of escalations that led Israel to begin drawing up the case.

Relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply in recent days. Speaking at the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Netanyahu called Erdogan a “tyrant” and said he hosted Hamas leaders. On Saturday, the Turkish president said Israeli officials wanted by the ICC should face trial.

The case is expected to focus largely on Erdogan’s alleged attacks on Kurdish minorities in Turkey, as well as his government’s funding of Hamas. Turkey does not designate Hamas as a terrorist organisation, while the United States and the European Union do.

Israel could refer the case to the ICC itself, but is more likely to ask a third country to initiate proceedings. Israel does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction, as it is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. Turkey is not a party either.

Netanyahu is himself the subject of an ICC arrest warrant, issued in November 2024 over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

However, sources quoted by i24NEWS said Israel hopes it will not ultimately have to file the case, and intends to use its existence as leverage over Erdogan, in effect as a deterrent.

Netanyahu’s office declined to comment, as did officials at Israel’s Justice Ministry.