The Istanbul prosecutor's office has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several members of the Israeli government and military leadership on charges of genocide, the department said.
“At the request of the prosecutor's office, the Istanbul Criminal Magistrate on Duty issued arrest warrants for 37 suspects, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Israel's Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Eyal Zamir and Israeli Navy Commander David Saar Salama, on charges of crimes against humanity under Article 77 of the Turkish Penal Code and genocide under Article 76 of the Turkish Penal Code“, it said The prosecutor's office.
It is noted that “as a result of the genocide and crimes against humanity that Israel systematically commits in the Gaza Strip, thousands of people, including women and children, have been killed, thousands have been injured, and residential areas have been destroyed“.
The charges are based in part on Israel's actions against the ships of the Sumud flotilla. Victims of the flotilla mission, who were detained and subsequently extradited to Turkey, were interviewed. “After being sent to our country, forensic and psychological examinations were conducted at the Istanbul Institute of Forensic Medicine, and the forensic reports were sent to the prosecutor's office“, the statement said. As part of the investigation, investigators have also contacted the police department and the National Intelligence Service to obtain evidence and testimony against those responsible for the flotilla incident.