Monday 02/February/2026 – 09:37 AM
The Turkish authorities arrested an Israeli woman in Istanbul who has been detained for about 10 days, on charges of insulting the Turkish flag, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the State of Palestine, according to Israeli media.
On charges of insulting Erdogan│ An Israeli woman was arrested in Türkiye.. and the Tel Aviv Foreign Ministry commented
According to the report of the Israeli website I24NEWS, the arrest took place in Taksim Square in central Istanbul, where circulating pictures showed the woman in handcuffs while being detained by the police, while the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in turn confirmed the news of the arrest, indicating that it was following up the case through diplomatic channels.
This incident comes in light of unprecedented tension in relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip, as the Turkish President escalated his tone towards Israel, accusing it of committing genocide. Turkey also decided to suspend its economic relations with Israel.
This development brings to mind the case of the Israeli couple Mordechai and Natalie Oknin, who were arrested in Turkey in 2021 on charges of espionage after photographing the Turkish presidential palace, before they were later released following intense diplomatic contacts.
The circumstances of the arrest are still not completely clear, while the Israeli official authorities continue to follow up on the case, awaiting additional clarifications from the Turkish authorities.
