Newsletters
The Palestinian group Hamas on Friday welcomed a Turkish court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other officials on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity over Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip.
The warrants, issued by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, target top Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Army Chief Eyal Zamir, and 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 called on governments and judicial bodies worldwide 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 arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Hamas handed over the remains of another Israeli hostage on Friday night as part of the ongoing Gaza ceasefire agreement.
A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said army forces had received a coffin from Red Cross teams in Gaza containing the remains, which were transferred to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for examination and identification.
On Saturday, the Israeli army confirmed the remains belonged to Sgt. Maj. Lior Rudaeff.
“Following the completion of the identification process by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, in cooperation with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate, army representatives informed the family of Command Sergeant Major (Res.) Lior Rudaeff, that he had been returned for burial,” the army said in a statement.
Rudaeff, who served as deputy security coordinator and a member of the Nir Yitzhak community’s rapid response team, was killed during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. His body was taken to Gaza by members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, according to the statement.
Since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, Hamas has released 20 Israeli captives alive and handed over the remains of 24 out of 28 deceased individuals, most of them Israeli. Israel has claimed that one of the bodies did not match any known captive on its list.
Israel has tied the launch of negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement to the return of all remaining hostage remains.
Hamas has said that recovering and identifying the bodies is being hindered by widespread destruction in Gaza.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the group is committed to handing over the rest of the remains “despite major difficulties and complexities.”
The first phase of the ceasefire includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. It also outlines plans for Gaza’s reconstruction and the creation of a new governing body without Hamas.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed nearly 69,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured more than 170,600 people since October 2023, according to Hamas authorities.
1 min read
2 min read
