Overview
- The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, backed by a duty magistrate, listed 37 suspects under Turkish Penal Code articles on genocide and crimes against humanity, naming Israel Katz, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Eyal Zamir and Navy Commander David Saar Salama among those targeted.
- Prosecutors said the case covers alleged systematic offenses in Gaza and actions against the Sumud aid flotilla, with victim interviews and forensic and psychological examinations from the Istanbul Institute of Forensic Medicine submitted as evidence.
- The filing cites incidents including the October 17, 2023 Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital blast, the April 1, 2024 killing of World Central Kitchen aid workers, strikes on the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, and restrictions on humanitarian access.
- Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar rejected the warrants as a PR stunt by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while Hamas praised the announcement as supportive of the Palestinian cause.
- The Turkish action follows Ankara joining South Africa’s ICJ genocide case and comes roughly a year after the ICC issued its own warrant for Netanyahu, though enforcement faces hurdles such as jurisdiction, extradition constraints and limited international cooperation.