The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday that it has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other Israeli officials on charges of genocide, in connection with Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip.
According to the statement, cited by Turkish media, the warrants target, among others, Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and Israeli Naval Forces Commander David Saar Salama.
The warrants follow a Turkish investigation, conducted under the jurisdiction of the Istanbul Court of Justice and in coordination with Türkiye’s Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which claims that Israeli forces engaged in systematic violence against civilians in Gaza.
Turkish prosecutors cited several incidents as the basis for the charges, including the October 17, 2023 strike on the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, which was found to have been caused by a failed rocket launch by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.
The investigation also referenced the April 1, 2024 killing of aid workers from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) during humanitarian operations in Gaza. Then-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said after the strike that it was a case of misidentification and the strikes were not meant to harm WCK workers.
The prosecutor’s office alleges that Israeli military actions deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure, obstructed humanitarian aid, and denied access to medical assistance. It also pointed to statements made through the Sumud Flotilla, which attempted to deliver aid to Gaza by sea and was intercepted by the IDF. The aid aboard the flotilla included less than a single truckload of aid.
The move comes amid continued tensions between Israel and Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has increased his verbal attacks on Israel since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023.
The two countries had been on track to restore strained ties before Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.
In March, Erdogan blasted Israel and described it as a "terror state" after it launched surprise strikes on terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip.
In June, the Turkish President claimed that Netanyahu’s government represents the most significant threat to Middle East security.
Despite his constant attacks of Israel, Turkey was involved in brokering the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, as part of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)