Netanyahu denounces bid to arrest him over Gaza war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has angrily condemned the International Criminal Court's prosecutor for seeking arrest warrants for him alongside Hamas's leaders over alleged war crimes in the Gaza conflict.

Mr Netanyahu said he rejected with disgust that "democratic Israel" had been compared with what he called "mass murderers".

Mr Netanyahu's comments have been echoed by US President Joe Biden, who said there was no equivalence between Israel and Hamas. 

The chief ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, said there were reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant bore criminal responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

The ICC is also seeking a warrant for Hamas's leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, for war crimes.

Israel and the US, its key ally, are not members of the ICC, which was set up in 2002.