RAMALLAH, Palestine/ISTANBUL

Palestine hailed on Saturday Turkish arrest warrants against 37 Israeli officials as a victory for justice, calling on other countries to follow Ankara’s example.

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

“This courageous legal action represents a victory for the principle of justice and an embodiment of the will of free nations and leaders rejecting the policy of impunity that some countries have granted to Israel,” the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement

It stressed that the move “also reaffirms the universality of jurisdiction in confronting war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

The ministry said the measures taken by the Turkish judiciary reflect “an advanced legal and moral stance and send a clear message that those who commit crimes against the Palestinian people will not escape accountability, regardless of their positions.”

In November 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.