Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Friday night slammed Turkey’s “latest PR stunt” after an Istanbul court issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other Israeli officials on charges of alleged genocide in Gaza.
“The Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office—which, as recalled, recently orchestrated the arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul [Ekrem İmamoğlu] merely for daring to run against [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan—has now issued ‘arrest warrants’ for Israeli leaders and senior officials,” Sa’ar tweeted.
“In Erdoğan’s Turkey, the judiciary has long since become a tool for silencing political rivals and detaining journalists, judges, and mayors. Israel firmly rejects, with contempt, the latest PR stunt by the tyrant Erdoğan,” Israel’s top diplomat stated.
The Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office - which, as recalled, recently orchestrated the arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul merely for daring to run against Erdoğan - has now issued “arrest warrants” for Israeli leaders and senior officials.
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) November 7, 2025
In Erdoğan’s Turkey, the judiciary has long…
The Hamas terrorist group lauded Turkey’s move, branding it a “commendable step [reflecting] the genuine positions of the Turkish people and leadership.”
Gaza’s ruling dictatorship called the war against Israel, which Hamas started by murdering some 1,200 people in the northwestern Negev and kidnapping 251 others into the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, “one of the most the most brutal genocidal war in modern history.”
On Thursday, a Hamas delegation led by senior official Khalil al-Hayya met with Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MİT) Director İbrahim Kalın in Istanbul, the Palestinian terrorist organization said.
According to the statement, the parties discussed the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire, reopening of border crossings and humanitarian aid efforts.
Jerusalem opposes any involvement by Turkey or Qatar in the reconstruction of Gaza, citing both countries’ support for Hamas and their hostility toward Israel.
Erdoğan has repeatedly used inflammatory rhetoric against Israel since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack and throughout the Gaza war, and Ankara has imposed a series of anti-Israel measures, including a trade boycott.
