Türkiye issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, others over Gaza 'genocide' charges

Türkiye's Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on Friday issued arrest warrants for 37 people, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on charges of "genocide" and "crimes against humanity."

The prosecutor's office said in a statement that the warrants followed an investigation into what it called Israel's "systematic" attacks on civilians in Gaza, adding that the investigation began after complaints from victims and members of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian aid mission intercepted by Israeli naval forces while trying to deliver humanitarian supplies to Gaza, Xinhua reports.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar denounced the warrants in a post on the social media platform X, calling them a "PR stunt" by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He said Israel "firmly rejects" the move.

Erdogan has been one of Israel's strongest critics during its military campaign in Gaza, which began after Hamas' 2023 attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel, according to Israeli officials. Palestinian health authorities say more than 68,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, and much of the enclave has been reduced to rubble.

Türkiye is also serving as one of the guarantor countries for a Gaza ceasefire agreement reached last month.