By SCM Staff Writer I Friday, Nov.07, 2025
ISTANBUL – ISRAELI PM Benjamin Netanyahu is now officially a wanted man in Turkey after Istanbul’s chief prosecutor dramatically issued arrest warrants against him and 36 other top officials on charges of ‘committing genocide’.
The massive indictment names military and political top brass, including firebrand Defence Minister Israel Katz, as the legal crisis over the ongoing Gaza conflict escalates into a full-blown diplomatic war.
The move by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office effectively turns the entire Israeli security cabinet into fugitives should they dare set foot on Turkish soil.
The warrants were issued following a criminal complaint lodged by the Istanbul Bar Association, which accused the officials of “genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes” perpetrated against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
The Hunted List
Netanyahu heads the list of 37 high-profile suspects.
Crucially, the list includes the current Defence Minister Israel Katz (referred to in the Ministry of Defence as MoD Katz) and is understood to name National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir.
The warrants focus on allegations of “systematic violence against civilians” in the war zone following the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023.
Istanbul Bar Association Chair Yasin Şamlı branded Israel’s actions a “terror structure” and stated the arrests were warranted over alleged atrocities, including the bombing of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital.
While Turkey is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), these new warrants are issued under domestic Turkish law, which claims the power of universal jurisdiction for severe crimes like genocide.
The Practical Reality: The warrants are seen as largely symbolic but mark a severe new low in the toxic relationship between Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Netanyahu’s government.
Erdoğan has been one of Israel’s most ferocious critics since the Gaza conflict began, cutting all trade and economic ties with Israel in late 2024. He has repeatedly labelled Israel a “terror state” and an “aggressor” in international forums.
This Turkish order comes nearly a year after the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued its own arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant (who was later replaced by Katz) on separate charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
While Israel and its key ally the US have rejected the ICC’s jurisdiction, the Turkish warrants pile fresh international pressure on the Israeli leadership, severely restricting the travel options for 37 senior officials now facing the possibility of arrest if they visit Turkey or any country willing to enforce Ankara’s decree.
