Ankara, Nov. 8: Turkey has issued arrest warrants accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several senior members of his government of genocide and crimes against humanity over Israel’s military actions in Gaza, according to a statement from Istanbul prosecutors on Thursday, as reported by AFP.

The Istanbul prosecutor’s office said 37 Israeli officials were named in the warrants, including Defence Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the army’s chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir. The statement accused them of “genocide and crimes against humanity perpetrated systematically” in the Gaza Strip, AFP reported.

The full list of accused officials has not been made public.

Prosecutors also referenced the bombing of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital in Gaza in March, which was built with Turkish support. Ankara has previously condemned the attack, calling it a violation of international humanitarian law.

Israel strongly rejected the warrants, calling them politically motivated. “Israel firmly rejects, with contempt, the latest PR stunt by the tyrant Erdoğan,” Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote on X, referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The move adds to Turkey’s growing legal and diplomatic efforts against Israel over the war in Gaza. Last year, Ankara joined South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since 10 October as part of US President Donald Trump's broader regional peace plan. However, reports from humanitarian groups suggest that large parts of the enclave remain devastated and tens of thousands displaced amid ongoing shortages of food, medicine and fuel.

Relations between Turkey and Israel have deteriorated sharply in recent years, particularly over Israel’s actions in Gaza and Ankara’s vocal support for the Palestinian cause. President Erdoğan has repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide.-Agencies