ISTANBUL – A Turkish court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and over three dozen top Israeli officials for genocide and crimes against humanity for Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza and the violent seizure of the Global Sumud Flotilla in October.
The warrants were approved after request from Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, which declared that Israel engaged in a “systematic campaign of genocide” in Gaza, resulting in deaths of thousands of civilians, including women and children, and the total destruction of large residential areas.
The prosecutor’s statement recalled shocking incidents that have come to symbolize war’s brutality, among them killing of six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was reportedly struck by 335 bullets on Jan. 29, 2024, and the Oct. 17, 2023, airstrike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, which killed some 500 people.
It also cited Feb. 29, 2024, destruction of medical equipment by Israeli forces and Mar. 21, 2025, bombing of Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, noting that multiple healthcare centers across Gaza have faced similar assaults.
According to statement, Gaza’s blockade further deepened humanitarian disaster, depriving the population of food, medicine, and international aid.
Global Sumud Flotilla, a humanitarian mission carrying international activists toward Gaza, was also attacked by the Israeli navy in international waters. Turkish prosecutors said the incident violated both Turkish law and international maritime conventions, prompting an investigation into acts of torture, aggravated looting, property destruction, unlawful detention, and hijacking of transport vessels.
Victims detained by Israeli forces during the flotilla raid were later flown to Türkiye on Oct. 4, 7, 9, and 10, where they underwent medical and psychological evaluations at the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute. Their testimonies were submitted to the prosecutor’s office as part of a sweeping criminal probe.
The office confirmed that statements were taken from multiple victims and that letters were dispatched to the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and the Istanbul Provincial Security Directorate to identify those responsible. The Istanbul No. 2 Bar Association also filed a separate criminal complaint to support the investigation.
After months of evidence collection, prosecutors concluded that Israeli officials bear direct criminal responsibility for “systematic crimes against humanity and acts of genocide” in Gaza and for the assault on the Global Sumud Fleet.
Because the suspects are not currently in Türkiye, the Istanbul Criminal Court of Peace approved the issuance of international arrest warrants on Nov. 7, 2025, against Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir, and Navy Commander David Saar Salama, among others.
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