Saturday, November 8, 2025 - Turkey has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and dozens of other Israeli officials on charges of "genocide" and "crimes against humanity." The warrants, issued by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on Friday, November 7, target 37 people in total.
Besides Netanyahu, the list includes high-ranking officials
such as Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister
Itamar Ben Gvir, and military chief Eyal Zamir. The charges stem from actions
in Gaza and against the flotilla carrying aid to the enclave, which was
intercepted by Israeli authorities last month.
Israel was quick to condemn and reject the warrants.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar immediately dismissed
the move as a “PR stunt” orchestrated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan. Sa’ar criticized the Turkish judicial system, stating that it “has
long since become a tool for silencing political rivals and detaining
journalists, judges, and mayors,” referencing the earlier arrest of Istanbul
Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
In contrast, the Palestinian militant group Hamas welcomed
the warrants, stating the action “confirms the noble positions of the Turkish
people and its leadership.”
The Turkish warrants raise significant questions about the
potential role Turkey will play in a multinational security force for Gaza, a
measure intended to uphold the recently brokered U.S.-backed ceasefire deal.
Earlier this week, several Muslim-majority nations met in
Istanbul to discuss an International Stabilization Force (ISF) for Gaza, which
is a key part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan. The temporary force
is envisioned to train a new Palestinian police force and help stabilize the
enclave.
U.S. officials have previously cited Turkey as a potential
participant, given its important role in securing Hamas’s agreement to a
ceasefire.
Despite this, Israel has made it explicitly clear that it is
against Turkish troops being stationed in Gaza. U.S. Vice President JD Vance
has emphasized that Israel will ultimately have to consent to the presence of
any foreign troops in the territory.
The Turkish warrants come nearly a year after the
International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for the Israeli leader,
also accusing him of war crimes, a warrant which the prime minister’s office
similarly dismissed as "absurd and antisemitic
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