Turkey Issues Arrest Warrant for Netanyahu Over "Genocide" in Gaza

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Turkey issued an arrest warrant this Friday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other members of the Israeli government and military command for "crimes against humanity" and under accusations of "genocide" in the Gaza Strip.

The warrants include Defense Minister Israel Katz; Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir; the Israeli Chief of the General Staff, Herzi Halevi; and the Commander of the Israeli Navy, David Sa'ar Salama.

"As a consequence of the genocide and crimes against humanity that the State of Israel has systematically committed in Gaza to date, thousands of people, including women and children, have lost their lives; thousands more have been injured and residential areas have become uninhabitable," stated the Prosecutor's Office announcement.

Furthermore, the statement denounces the blockade of the Palestinian enclave and the prevention of Palestinians from accessing humanitarian aid in the area. Simultaneously, it condemns the detention and "attacks in international waters" on activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla when they were headed to Gaza in late September.

In this regard, they reported that an investigation has been opened "for the crimes of torture, aggravated plunder, damage to property, deprivation of liberty, and the hijacking or detention of means of transport." During this process, it was determined that Israeli state officials "are criminally responsible for the systematic crimes against humanity and genocide committed in Gaza and for the actions undertaken against the Global Sumud Flotilla."

In November of last year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) already issued arrest warrants for the Israeli Prime Minister and the country's former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes.