Overview
- An Istanbul court, at the request of the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, issued 37 arrest warrants naming Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, IDF Chief Eyal Zamir and Navy Commander David Saar Salama.
- Prosecutors cite charges of genocide and crimes against humanity tied to Israel’s Gaza campaign and the interception of the Sumud aid flotilla, invoking Turkey’s penal code and universal‑jurisdiction provisions.
- Evidence referenced includes incidents such as the al‑Ahli hospital blast, the World Central Kitchen aid‑worker deaths, and the bombing of the Turkish‑Palestinian Friendship Hospital, as well as forensic and testimonial material from flotilla survivors.
- Israel rejected the move as political theater, with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemning it and pointing to Turkey’s judiciary, while Hamas publicly welcomed the warrants.
- Turkish authorities acknowledge the suspects are outside the country and asked for arrests “wherever they are found,” a posture that underscores practical limits and factors into debate over Turkey’s prospective role in a Gaza stabilization force under the US‑brokered ceasefire plan.