(MENAFN) Hamas has praised a Turkish court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other senior Israeli officials, accusing them of genocide and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict.

According to reports, the warrants were issued by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and target high-ranking Israeli figures, including Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Army Chief Eyal Zamir, and Israeli Naval Forces Commander David Saar Salama.

“This commendable step reflects the genuine positions of the Turkish people and leadership in standing firmly by justice, humanity, and the bonds of brotherhood that unite them with our oppressed Palestinian people, who have faced and continue to face one of the most brutal genocidal wars in modern history at the hands of the fascist occupation leaders,” Hamas said in a statement.

The group also urged other nations and judicial institutions to “issue legal warrants to pursue the leaders of the Zionist (Israeli) occupation wherever they are, and to bring them before courts to hold them accountable for their crimes against humanity.”

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued its own arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on similar charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against Palestinians in Gaza.

Since October 2023, Israeli military operations in Gaza have resulted in the deaths of nearly 69,000 people—mostly women and children—and injuries to over 170,000 others before the attacks were halted under a ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 10.

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