Istanbul prosecutor issues arrest warrants against Netanyahu

TEL AVIV: The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has issued arrest warrants for 37 individuals, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on charges of “genocide” in connection with the war in Gaza. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is an outspoken supporter of the terrorist group Hamas.

According to a press statement from the prosecutor’s office cited in the newspaper Turkiye Today, among those named are Defence Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The prosecutor’s office has reportedly claimed that Israel of “systematically targets civilians in the Gaza Strip” amid its war against Hamas, which started after the terrorist group’s 7 October 2023 atrocities against Israeli civilians.

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Turkey issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu and 36 Israeli officials for alleged “Genocide” and “Crimes Against Humanity” committed in Gaza, Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office pic.twitter.com/ogDlSMy3Pu

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The warrant is said to cite specific incidents from the early days of the war, including the October 17, 2023 incident at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital. Israeli and US intelligence concluded that this was the result of a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group.

Israel denies all claims that it targets civilians. It regularly cites its efforts to evacuate non-combatants ahead of strikes, as well to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid, as evidence.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor has also issue dozens of arrest warrants for journalists and political opponents of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the past, the most prominent of whom is the opposition leader Ekrem Imamoglu, who is currently awaiting trial on “treason charges”.

It is worth mentioning that Turkey itself has been accused of committing genocide against its Armenian population between 1915 and 1923, during which time up to 1.5 million Armenians were executed, or left to starve to death. The remaining 500,000 Armenians in Turkey (only 25% per cent of the total population) fled to Russia.

The US, Canada, most EU countries, Russia and other nations officially recognise the Armenian Genocide, while others, such as the UK and Australia, do not, mainly due to the fear of reprisals from Turkey.

That is also the case of Israel. In August 2025, however, Prime Minister Netanyahu personally recognised the genocide, though this falls short of any kind of official recognition. (ANI/TPS)