Turkiy has escalated its stance on the Gaza conflict, announcing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several top Israeli officials on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. The move, issued by the Istanbul prosecutor&rsquo;s office on Friday, accuses Israeli leadership of &ldquo;systematically perpetrated&rdquo; atrocities since the Gaza war began in October 2023.
A total of 37 Israeli officials are named in the warrants, including Defence Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir. While the full list wasn&rsquo;t released, prosecutors outlined a series of alleged violations from the&nbsp;October 17, 2023 strike on Gaza&rsquo;s al-Ahli Baptist Hospital that killed 500 people, to the deliberate destruction of medical equipment on February 29, 2024.
They further accused Israel of imposing a blockade that &ldquo;denied victims access to humanitarian aid&rdquo; and referenced the bombing of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital in March, a facility built by T&uuml;rkiye inside Gaza.
Israel dismissed the warrants with scorn. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the announcement a &ldquo;PR stunt&rdquo;, saying on X: &ldquo;Israel firmly rejects, with contempt, the latest PR stunt by the tyrant Erdogan.&rdquo;
Hamas, meanwhile, welcomed Turkiy&rsquo;s decision, praising it as a &ldquo;commendable measure" the sincere positions of the Turkish people and their leaders, who are committed to the values of justice, humanity and fraternity.&rdquo;
The warrants come nearly a year after the International Criminal Court sought the arrest of Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes. T&uuml;rkiye had also joined South Africa&rsquo;s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
The Gaza conflict has remained devastating. Since October 2023, at least 68,875 Palestinians have been killed and 170,679 wounded, making it one of the deadliest chapters in the region&rsquo;s history.

Türkiye Issues Arrest Warrant for Netanyahu

Istanbul prosecutors accuse Israeli leaders of genocide & crimes against humanity in Gaza

Türkiye Issues Arrest Warrant for Netanyahu

Istanbul prosecutors accuse Israeli leaders of genocide & crimes against humanity in Gaza

November 8, 2025 | 10:37 IST