Turkey issues genocide arrest warrant for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials
Warrants have been issued for 37 people including the nation's security minister and army chief
Turkey has issued arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials within the Israeli government for alleged genocide.
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A total of 37 people were listed by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office including prime minister Netanyahu, defence minister Israel Katz, national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the army chief Lt Gen Eyal Zamir.
Turkey has accused the officials of "genocide and crimes against humanity" which Israel has "perpetrated systematically" in Gaza.
The statement also refers to the "Turkish-Palestinian friendship hospital," built by Turkey in the Gaza Strip and bombed by Israel in March.
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In response, Israel denounced the warrant as a "PR stunt."
Taking to X, foreign minister Gideon Saar saidl: "Israel firmly rejects, with contempt, the latest PR stunt by the tyrant [president Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan."
A ceasefire has been in force in the Palestinian territory since 10 October as part of Donald Trump's regional peace plan.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued its own arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant and a Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al Masri.
Those warrants were issued "for crimes against humanity and war crimes" over the conflict in Gaza and the October 7 attacks on Israel.