The Tel Aviv District Court on Monday granted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to postpone his hearing to answer corruption charges until Tuesday, citing “political and security” reasons, Anadolu reported.

Public broadcaster KAN said Netanyahu requested the postponement Monday morning for “political and security reasons,” without giving further details.

The court and the public prosecutor’s office agreed. request, and the next hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, KAN said.

The delay came as the Israeli military on Monday began attacking the Gaza-bound Global Sumud humanitarian flotilla carrying activists from 39 countries in international waters.

Live broadcasts from the fleet showed Israeli naval forces attacking the ships one after the other.

Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported. that the Israeli military detained the activists on board the ships and was transferring them to a navy ship described as a “floating prison” before transporting them to the port of Ashdod.

Netanyahu faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three corruption cases. The charges were filed in late November 2019.

Since his corruption trial began in 2020, Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing. Israeli law allows a presidential pardon only after a defendant pleads guilty.

In addition to the domestic corruption trial, Netanyahu has been wanted since 2024 by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, where more than 72,000 people have been killed, mostly women and children, in a brutal war since October 2023.

Source: prizrenpost