The government of Turkiye recently issued an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu, along with many other high ranking officials in Israel, are being accused of genocide and crimes against humanity.  Among the other accused includes the Israel Defense Minister, Israel Katz, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, and national security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.  The full list of suspects amounts to 37 people, although the full suspect list has not yet been released at time of writing.

This arrest warrant is not the first of its kind.  In November of 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) levied an arrest warrant for the same reasons against Netanyahu.  Warrants were also issued for the former Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant.  What that means is that all 125 ICC member states must arrest Netanyahu and Gallant if they enter those countries.  In addition, Turkiye last year involved themselves with South Africa’s ongoing UN court case with Israel.As this article by The Guardian wrote, “The chamber ruled there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore criminal responsibility as co-perpetrators for ‘the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts'” (Borger, Roth, Nov. 21, 2024).  A western-alligned democracy such as Israel was the first of its kind to be charged by the ICC, it was a historic occasion.

The warrants are a response to the Israel-Gaza war, which is still undergoing a faltering peace plan.  As well as the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid into Gaza, which was captured by the IDF in early October, said the prosecutors office.  Much of the accusations levied against Netanyahu and his senior officials are in response to their actions over the last two years.  Consistently brought up is the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare.  Likely referring to the consistent blocking and interception of humanitarian aid into the strip, despite the extremely dangerous conditions of civilians there.  Also under consideration is Israeli occupation in the West Bank, which is illegal under international law.

The warrant Turkiye issued is currently being dismissed by Israeli government as just a “PR stunt”.  As CNN writers put it, “Israel was quick to condemn and reject the warrants” (Humayun, Tuncer, Michaelis, Nov. 7th, 2025).  Gideon Sa’ar posted on the social media platform Twitter that “In Erdoğan’s Turkey, the judiciary has long since become a tool for silencing political rivals and detaining journalists, judges, and mayors”.

Turkiye may also be put on the International Stabilization forces (ISF), who are a key part of the Gaza peace plan meant to train a Palestinian police force to help stabilize things once war has truly ended and Gaza rebuilds.  Prior to the warrants being issued, several Muslim-majority nations met in Istanbul to discuss this.