ISTANBUL, NOV 8 (AFP/APP):Turkey announced Friday that it had issued arrest warrants for genocide against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials in his government over the war in Gaza.
The announcement was met with a firm rebuttal from Israel. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel “firmly rejects, with contempt” the charges, calling them “the latest PR stunt by the tyrant (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan”.
The Istanbul prosecutor’s office said in a statement that a total of 37 suspects were targeted by the arrest warrants, without providing a full list.
They include Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir.
Turkey has accused the officials of “genocide and crimes against humanity” that 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.
A fragile ceasefire has been in force in the devastated Palestinian territory since October 10 as part of US President Donald Trump’s regional peace plan.
The Islamist group Hamas welcomed Turkey’s announcement, calling it a “commendable measure (confirming) the sincere positions of the Turkish people and their leaders, who are committed to the values of justice, humanity and fraternity that bind them to our oppressed Palestinian people”.
:Turkey announced Friday that it had issued arrest warrants for genocide against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Neta){kind=link}