The Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into genocide and issued 37 international arrest warrants, placing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the top of the list. The warrants also target nearly the entire senior military and political leadership of Israel involved in the Gaza conflict since 7 October 2023.
The 184-page Turkish dossier, titled “Genocide in Gaza – Criminal Investigation No. 2025/41341”, alleges that Netanyahu and 36 others “intentionally and systematically committed acts aimed at the complete or partial destruction of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip, fulfilling the elements of Article 6 of the Rome Statute on genocide.”
Specifically, the prosecution accuses the defendants of deliberately killing 43,712 Palestinian civilians (according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health as of 6 November 2025), causing serious physical and psychological harm to 96,000 injured individuals, creating life-threatening conditions through the blockade of water, food, medicine, and energy affecting 2.3 million people, obstructing births by destroying 33 of 36 hospitals, and killing 387 healthcare workers. A key piece of evidence cited is the explosion at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital courtyard on 17 October 2023, which killed 471 people within seconds.
In addition to Netanyahu, those named include Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Southern Command Chief Yaron Finkelman, former Intelligence Chief Aharon Haliva, Shin Bet Head Ronen Bar, Air Force Commander Tomer Bar, and 30 other officers who authorized bombings in Jabalia, Khan Younis, Rafah, and Nuseirat.
The arrest warrants have been sent to Interpol and 124 countries recognizing universal jurisdiction for genocide. Turkey has also indicated plans to request the International Criminal Court in The Hague to join the case.
Israel condemned the move as “legal antisemitism” and a “political farce.” A government spokesperson stated, “Turkey shelters Hamas leaders in Ankara yet issues arrest warrants for those defending our people from terrorists. It is the same Turkey that denies the Armenian genocide.”
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appeared on live television, declaring, “Netanyahu has crossed every limit. He is the Hitler of the 21st century. Today, Istanbul spoke on behalf of 2 billion Muslims and all people of conscience.”
This marks the first time in history that a Turkish prosecutor has issued an arrest warrant for a sitting foreign prime minister on charges of genocide.
