Turkiye says it has issued arrest warrants for genocide against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials.
Among 37 suspects listed are Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, according to a Friday statement from the Istanbul prosecutor’s office, which did not publish the complete list.
Turkiye has accused the officials of “genocide and crimes against humanity” that Israel has “perpetrated systematically” in its war on Gaza since October 2023.
“The October 17, 2023, attack on the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital claimed 500 lives; on February 29, 2024, Israeli soldiers deliberately destroyed medical equipment; … Gaza was placed under blockade, and victims were denied access to humanitarian aid,” it said.
The statement also refers to the “Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital”, built by Turkiye in the Gaza Strip and bombed by Israel in March.
Israel denounced the move as a “PR stunt”.
“Israel firmly rejects, with contempt, the latest PR stunt by the tyrant [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan,” Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted on X.
The Palestinian group Hamas welcomed the announcement, calling it 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”.
Turkiye’s announcement comes almost one year after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, for alleged “war crimes”.
Turkiye last year also joined South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 68,875 Palestinians and wounded 170,679 since October 2023.
