in-cyprus 9 November 2025
Turkey has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other senior officials on charges of “genocide and crimes against humanity” over Israel’s war in Gaza.
The warrants were issued by the Istanbul prosecutor’s office. Among the suspects named were Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Army Chief Lt Gen Eyal Zamir. The complete list of 37 suspects was not published by the prosecutor.
The Turkish statement accuses the officials of crimes that Israel has “perpetrated systematically” in the Palestinian territory. It also referenced the bombing of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, which was built by Turkey in the Gaza Strip and was struck in March.
Israel dismisses action as ‘PR stunt’
Israel immediately denounced the warrants, dismissing the action as political theatre.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the move on social media, stating: “Israel firmly rejects, with contempt, the latest PR stunt by the tyrant [President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan.”
The decision by the Turkish prosecutor comes amid ongoing international legal pressure concerning Israel’s war in Gaza, particularly concerning the 1948 Genocide Convention.
South Africa initiated a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in late 2023, alleging that Israel’s actions constitute genocidal acts. Turkey subsequently joined this legal process.
While the ICJ has not made a final ruling on whether genocide has occurred—a process that can take years—it issued several provisional measures ordering Israel to prevent acts that could violate the Genocide Convention and to ensure the immediate delivery of basic humanitarian supplies to the population facing famine.
Israel’s attack on Gaza, which started after a Hamas-led incursion into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,195 people, mostly civilians, and taking hundreds hostage, has caused catastrophic civilian losses and damage to infrastructure.
As of early November 2025, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reports that the overall number of Palestinians killed exceeds 69,000, with thousands more bodies believed to be under the rubble.
Damage assessments indicate that up to 78% of all buildings in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed, reducing entire cities to rubble and displacing over 90% of the population.
Furthermore, multiple international agencies have warned that a famine (IPC Phase 5) is either looming or already occurring in certain northern areas of Gaza due to the prolonged lack of essential food and aid deliveries.
