Turkiye has announced arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several top Israeli officials on charges of genocide linked to Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.
According to a statement released on Friday by the Istanbul prosecutor’s office, 37 people have been named in the case.
The office confirmed that the list includes Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, although the full list was not disclosed, reports Al Jazeera.
Turkiye has accused officials are responsible for genocide and crimes against humanity that Israel has perpetrated systematically since the attack on Gaza began in October 2023.
The statement cited the 17 October 2023, strike on the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital that claimed 500 lives, as well as the 29 February 2024 incident in which Israeli soldiers deliberately destroyed medical equipment. Moreover, Gaza had been blockaded, and civilians were denied essential humanitarian relief.
It further highlighted the bombing of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, a facility built by Turkiye in Gaza, which came under Israeli attack in March.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote on X, “Israel firmly rejects, with contempt, the latest PR stunt by the tyrant (President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan.”
Hamas welcomed the move, describing it as a “commendable measure (confirming) the sincere positions of the Turkish people and their leaders, who are committed to the values of justice, humanity and fraternity that bind them to our oppressed Palestinian people.”
The decision follows nearly a year after the International Criminal Court issued warrants for Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged “war crimes”. Turkiye also backed South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last year.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 68,875 Palestinians and left 170,679 injured since October 2023, according to local authorities.
