An Istanbul court has issued arrest warrants for 37 senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing them of genocide and crimes against humanity for the relentless massacres and destruction carried out in the Gaza Strip.

The decision came after a comprehensive investigation led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, which concluded that Israel’s ongoing aggression amounts to a systematic campaign of extermination against the Palestinian people. The investigation also covers Israel’s violent assault on the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian aid convoy attempting to deliver humanitarian assistance to besieged Gaza.

The prosecutor’s statement underscored that since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has waged a campaign of unprecedented brutality — targeting civilians, hospitals, schools, and aid convoys.

The statement recalled the horrifying case of six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was shot 335 times by Israeli soldiers on January 29, 2024, and the massacre at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital on October 17, 2023, where 500 civilians were burned alive under Israeli bombardment.

It further noted the bombing of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital on March 21, 2025, and the repeated targeting of medical centers, ambulances, and refugee camps — all clear violations of international humanitarian law.

“Entire neighborhoods have been flattened, and Gaza has been turned into an open-air graveyard,” the statement said, emphasizing that Israel’s actions meet the legal definition of genocide under the Turkish Penal Code and international law.

The prosecutor also detailed Israel’s attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail to break the siege on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid. The flotilla was intercepted in international waters by the Israeli navy, and its passengers were beaten, detained, and robbed of their property.

Survivors were later brought to Türkiye for medical and psychological treatment at the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute, and their testimonies formed key evidence in the case.

Under Articles 12 and 13 of the Turkish Penal Code, Article 15 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Turkish prosecutors have opened a case against the Israeli perpetrators for torture, aggravated looting, deprivation of liberty, and hijacking of transport vessels — in addition to the overarching charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.

The Istanbul No. 2 Bar Association joined victims’ legal representatives in filing criminal complaints, while Turkish authorities coordinated with the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and Istanbul Security Directorate to identify those responsible.

The Istanbul Criminal Court of Peace issued international arrest warrants for 37 senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir, and Navy Commander David Saar Salama. The officials are charged under Article 77 of the Turkish Penal Code for crimes against humanity and Article 76 for genocide, in connection with Israel’s systematic assaults and mass killings in the Gaza Strip.

Legal experts describe the move as a turning point in the global struggle for accountability, marking one of the first serious attempts to prosecute Israeli war crimes in a national court.

While the suspects remain outside Türkiye, the warrants carry powerful symbolic and diplomatic weight, signaling Türkiye’s unwavering stance as a defender of Palestinian rights and international law.

“The investigation will continue with utmost care and determination,” the prosecutor’s office said, adding that the evidence “leaves no doubt that the crimes committed in Gaza constitute genocide.”

Across the Muslim world, the decision has been welcomed as a victory for truth and justice — a long-awaited step toward holding Israeli leaders accountable for the massacres, starvation, and siege that have devastated Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants. (ILKHA)