Turkey has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other senior Israeli officials on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity related to the conflict in Gaza. The Istanbul prosecutor's office announced the warrants, which include Defence Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and army chief Lt Gen Eyal Zamir.
The statement accused Israel of perpetrating these crimes systematically in Gaza, citing the bombing of the Turkish-Palestinian friendship hospital, built by Turkey in the Gaza Strip, in March. The full list of 37 suspects was not published.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar dismissed the warrants as a 'PR stunt' by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whom he called a 'tyrant'. Turkey joined South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice last year.
A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since 10 October as part of a regional peace plan brokered by former US President Donald Trump.
