ISTANBUL

The Palestinian group Hamas welcomed a Turkish court decision on Friday to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other officials on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity over Israel’s deadly war on the Gaza Strip.

The warrants issued by Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office target senior Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Army Chief Eyal Zamir, and Israeli Naval Forces Commander David Saar Salama.

“This commendable step reflects the genuine positions of the Turkish people and leadership in standing firmly by justice, humanity, and the bonds of brotherhood that unite them with our oppressed Palestinian people, who have faced and continue to face one of the most brutal genocidal wars in modern history at the hands of the fascist occupation leaders,” Hamas said in a statement.

It called on world governments and judicial bodies to “issue legal warrants to pursue the leaders of the Zionist (Israeli) occupation wherever they are, and to bring them before courts to hold them accountable for their crimes against humanity.”

On Nov, 2024, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has killed close to 69,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 170,000 others in a brutal assault in Gaza since October 2023, before the offensive came to a halt under a ceasefire deal that took effect on Oct. 10.