Report: Turkey ends war crimes probe of Israel over Gaza op

Turkey has closed an investigation into war crimes allegedly committed by Israel during its military offensive in the Gaza Strip earlier this year, the Anatolia news agency reported Thursday.

The report, which was cited by the Web site of the influential Turkish daily newspaper Hurriyet, stated that the Justice Ministry had denied prosecutors permission to bring charges of genocide and crimes against humanity against several top Israeli officials, including President Shimon Peres and a number of ministers.

According to the report in Hurriyet, the probe was the result of an initiative by an Islamist human rights group, Mazlum-Der, which accused Israel of perpetrating "direct attacks on civilians with the aim of annihilating them."

Relations between Jerusalem and Ankara, which both governments view as strategically crucial, have been strained by the Gaza war and the discontinuation of Turkish-mediated peace talks between Israel and Syria.