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Amid the ongoing devastation in Gaza, Turkey has issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior members of his government, accusing them of “genocide and war crimes.”
According to a statement from the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office, a total of 37 Israeli officials are included in the list — among them Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Israeli Army Chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir. The remaining names have not been made public for security reasons.
The prosecution stated that all of them are accused of involvement in “organized acts of genocide and crimes against humanity” in Gaza. The statement also emphasized that Israel had bombed the “Turkey-Palestine Friendship Hospital” in March 2025 — the same hospital that Turkey had built in Gaza in 2017, which was the only cancer hospital in the region.
After the destruction of the hospital, the last hope for cancer patients in Gaza also vanished. The incident was strongly condemned by the Turkish government and international human rights organizations.
Hamas called Turkey’s decision “the voice of justice. ”
Hamas has strongly welcomed Turkey’s move. In its statement, the organization described Netanyahu as a “war criminal” and Defense Ministers Yoav Gallant and Israel Katz as “criminals of terrorism.”
Hamas said, “This historic decision reflects the commitment of the Turkish people and leadership to the values of justice, humanity, and true brotherhood. It is a symbol of solidarity with our oppressed Palestinian brothers who are facing one of the most brutal campaigns of destruction in modern times.”
Hamas also appealed to other countries and judicial institutions around the world to take similar legal actions against Israeli leaders so that they can be held accountable in international courts for crimes against humanity.