Turkey issues 'genocide' arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
A Turkish court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other members of his government for alleged crimes against humanity and genocide relating to the Gaza war.
The Istanbul chief public prosecutor’s office justified the arrest warrants by stating that “Israeli state officials bear criminal responsibility for the systematic acts of ‘crimes against humanity’ and ‘genocide’ committed in Gaza, as well as for the actions carried out against the Global Sumud Fleet.”
Prosecutors said as a result of these crimes, thousands of people, including women and children, lost their lives, while thousands more have been injured and residential areas had been rendered uninhabitable.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Israel denounced the warrants 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.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly accused Netanyahu of committing “genocide” in Gaza.
Turkey maintains contacts with Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organisation by the United States and the European Union. Ankara played a key role in brokering the recent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, though the truce has since become fragile.
Israel has repeatedly been accused of war crimes and, in some cases, genocide over its actions in the Gaza Strip, accusations which it rejects.
The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) in November 2024 issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza war. The US and Israel do not recognise the ICC.
The Gaza war erupted after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1200 people and abducting more than 250.
Israel launched a massive military campaign in response, which has killed more than 68,500 people in the Palestinian territory, according to the Hamas-run health authority.
with EFE
