Turkey issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu over Gaza genocide
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Turkey issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu and senior "Israeli" officials over alleged genocide and war crimes committed in Gaza.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the State Dining Room of the White House, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington (AP)
Turkey has issued arrest warrants accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior members of his government of genocide.
The Istanbul prosecutor’s office said in a statement that among the 37 suspects listed were Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Army Chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, while the complete list was not made public.
Turkey has accused the officials of committing “genocide and crimes against humanity” that "Israel" has “perpetrated systematically” in Gaza, and the statement also mentions the “Turkish-Palestinian friendship hospital” that Turkey built in the Gaza Strip and that was bombed by Israel in March.
The Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital was built by Turkey in Gaza in 2017 to serve as a major healthcare and training center, later becoming the territory’s only oncology facility. In March 2025, it was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes, leaving Gaza without its primary cancer-treatment hospital and drawing condemnation from Türkiye and human rights groups.
Hamas commends Turkey's arrest warrant
Responding to Turkiye's move, Hamas issued a statement commending the warrants issued against the Israeli officials.
In its statement, Hamas praised the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s decision to issue arrest warrants for 37 Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, whom it called a war criminal, along with current and former defense ministers Galant and Katz, describing them as perpetrators of terrorism.
“This commendable step affirms the genuine positions of the Turkish people and their leadership, aligned with the values of justice and humanity, and the brotherhood that binds them to our oppressed Palestinian people, who have faced, and continue to face, the most brutal campaign of extermination in modern history at the hands of war criminals among the leaders of the fascist occupation,” the statement said.
Concluding its statement, Hamas called on countries and judicial bodies worldwide to issue legal warrants to pursue the leaders of the Israeli occupation, bringing them to court and holding them accountable for their crimes against humanity.
