Hungary, unlike the United States, is a signatory to the court, which accused the Israeli leader of war crimes in Gaza. Responses to the warrant from other European countries were varied.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán says he will defy an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban invited Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday to visit Hungary but several other European nations said the Israeli premier would be detained if he set foot on their soil, following the issuing of an arrest warrant for him.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday invited Israeli Prime Benjamin Netanyahu to visit his country and confirmed he will not honor an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.

Viktor Orban has vowed to defy the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu – saying that the Israeli leader is invited to Hungary. The Hungarian prime minister branded the ICC’s decision as “brazen, cynical and completely unacceptable” and assured Mr Netanyahu he would face no risks if he visited Hungary.

Israel has informed the International Criminal Court that it will appeal against arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant over their conduct of the Gaza war,

Israel's prime minister and former defence minister strongly deny allegations of war crimes in Gaza.

Israel is to lodge an appeal against the arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netanyahu's office said on Wednesday.