ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Turkey on Friday issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alongside dozens of senior officials in his government, on charges of genocide, Istanbul prosecutor's office announced.

 

“In light of the evidence obtained, the following Israeli State officials are criminally responsible for the systematic acts of 'Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide' in Gaza and for the actions taken against the Global Sumud Flotilla,” read a Friday statement from the prosecutor’s office.

 

Entailed in the statement were arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu, Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz, Israeli Minister of Border Security Tamara Ben Gvir, Israeli Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir, and Israeli Naval Forces Commander David Saar Salama for “crimes against humanity,” among 37 senior Israeli officials, though it did not provide the full list of suspects.

 

“Upon the request of our Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the Istanbul Criminal Judge of Peace on Duty issued arrest warrants for 37 suspects, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu, Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz, Israeli Minister of Border Security Tamara Ben Gvir, Israeli Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir, and Israeli Naval Forces Commander David Saar Salama, for the crimes of ‘Crimes Against Humanity,’” it added.

 

Turkey is one of the guarantors of a 20-point peace proposal put forth by US President Donald Trump in September, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan being a signatory to the agreement along with Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

 

Since the document's signing on October 13, the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has proved fragile, with both sides having accused one another of violations. In the same week as the guarantee was signed by international leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his military had dropped 153 tons of ordnance on the Strip amid a temporary resumption of strikes.

 

The prosecutor’s office claimed that on January 29, 2024, a six-year-old girl was killed by “335 bullets” fired by Israeli soldiers, further accusing Israel of killing 500 people on October 17, 2024 in a Hospital, and that Israeli troops deliberately destroyed medical equipment and bombed hospitals numerous times.

 

It also said that Gaza remains denied humanitarian aid, “a situation that has drawn widespread international attention.”

 

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification’s (IPC) declared a state of famine in the Gaza Strip, predicting over half a million people were facing phase five catastrophic conditions. The UN-backed global initiative classifies the severity of food insecurity into five different categories, with Phase 5 Catastrophe/Famine being the most severe.

 

Gaza’s health ministry said in early October that 459 people had died of malnutrition in the Strip, including 154 children.

 

Another charge contributing to the arrest warrant according to the prosecutor’s office is Israel's interception of the “Global Sumud Flotilla,” a fleet of 44 boats carrying activists aiming to deliver aid to Gaza that was intercepted by Israel. Hundreds of activists were detained and deported.

 

Following widespread international reaction, Israel’s foreign ministry said that several vessels were “safely stopped,” with their passengers being transferred to an Israeli port where they will be deported to Europe.

 

“During the investigation process, it has been determined that the victims of the Global Sumud Flotilla submitted a number of petitions to our Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor through their attorneys regarding the process that took place,” the statement explained.

 

Investigations continue, the prosecutor said.

 

Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed over 66,000 people, most of whom are civilians, according to Gaza's health ministry. The bloodshed has drawn growing international backlash - most recently seen in a torrent of recognition of Palestinian statehood by Western countries - placing pressure on Israel and its allies to halt the conflict.