A Turkish court issued arrest warrants Friday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other high-ranking officials, charging them with genocide over Israel's military operations in Gaza.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office targeted Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Border and Security Minister Eyal Zamir, and Israeli Naval Forces Commander David Saar Salama, among others.
The move escalates Turkey's fierce opposition to the war that has devastated Gaza since October 2023.
The investigation accuses Israel of systematic violence against civilians, including strikes on hospitals and aid convoys that killed hundreds.
Prosecutors cited the October 17, 2023, blast at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, which Palestinian officials blamed on an Israeli airstrike and said killed at least 471 people sheltering there.
Israel denied responsibility, attributing the explosion to a misfired rocket from Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Four days later, on October 21, Israeli shelling damaged the nearby Ebla Baptist Hospital, worsening Gaza's medical crisis.
Authorities also highlighted the April 1, 2024, killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in an Israeli drone strike on their convoy, which Israel called a tragic error amid targeting suspected militants.
The probe alleges Israel's campaign has deliberately targeted civilians and infrastructure, blocked humanitarian aid and denied medical access. It references complaints from the Sumud Flotilla, a group that tried to deliver aid by sea but faced Israeli interference.
The case stems from complaints filed in Istanbul courts on October 4, 7, 9 and 10, 2025.
Turkish officials conducted the inquiry under the Istanbul Court of Justice, in coordination with the Justice and Foreign Affairs ministries. In a November 7 press statement, the prosecutor's office said the warrants followed established legal procedures, describing the alleged acts as crimes against humanity requiring further probe.
This comes amid a conflict that began with Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, where militants killed about 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and took 251 hostages.
Israel responded with a massive offensive to dismantle Hamas, imposing a blockade and launching airstrikes and ground operations.
Gaza's Health Ministry, run by Hamas, reports more than 50,000 Palestinian deaths since, mostly women and children, though Israel disputes civilian tolls and accuses Hamas of using human shields.
The war has triggered famine warnings, displaced nearly all of Gaza's 2.3 million residents and drawn global accusations of war crimes on both sides.
The International Court of Justice is examining South Africa's genocide case against Israel.
Turkey, a NATO ally with historic ties to both Israelis and Palestinians, has branded Israel's actions a "genocide" and cut trade ties in May 2024.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rallied Muslim nations against the offensive, hosting aid drives and condemning Western support for Israel.
Diplomatic relations remain suspended.
The warrants hold little practical weight — Netanyahu faces no extradition risk from Turkey — but they spotlight the deepening rift and Turkey's bid to lead global outrage.
As warrants fly from Istanbul to Jerusalem, the Gaza firestorm rages on. Two years in, hostages linger, cities lie in rubble, and accusations echo from The Hague to Ankara.
Will this Turkish salvo force a reckoning, or just widen the divide in a war devouring innocents on all sides?
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