Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other senior officials have been issued arrest warrants by the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office for alleged genocide and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. The charges come amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, where Israel launched its military campaign in response to the Hamas-led raid on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people. The retaliatory strikes and ground operations have since resulted in the deaths of over 68,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
The warrants, released by Istanbul’s Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, accuse Israeli officials of participating in a ‘systematic’ campaign of violence against civilians, including the bombing of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital and the obstruction of humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza. The statement accompanying the warrants noted that the suspects could not be apprehended as they are not currently in Turkey.
In addition to Netanyahu, the list of suspects includes Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and Navy Commander David Saar Salama. The Turkish government has accused these officials of being complicit in the alleged crimes, though the warrants are considered politically motivated by some, including the Israeli government.
Israel and its allies, such as the United States, have rejected the accusations, with the Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar calling the move a ‘PR stunt’ by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The U.S., which is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, has also launched a pressure campaign against the International Criminal Court (ICC), blacklisting several of its judges and prosecutors.
Earlier this year, a UN commission also accused Israel of committing acts amounting to genocide. Netanyahu is already the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant, along with former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and several Hamas leaders, issued by the Hague-based ICC in 2024. However, these charges have been met with strong opposition from Israel and its allies.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in early October under the U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan—one of the eight wars the U.S. leader claims to have ended in eight months. However, violence has repeatedly flared up since then, with hundreds of Palestinians and at least two Israeli soldiers killed, as both sides continue to trade blame over breaches of the truce.