ISTANBUL

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed late Wednesday for Hungary, defying an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes in Gaza.

Netanyahu “departed for a four-day visit to Hungary, accompanied by his wife, Sara,” Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported.

He is expected to land in the capital Budapest in the early morning hours, where his visit will officially begin, the newspaper added.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Hungary to arrest Netanyahu if he sets foot in the country.

“Hungary should deny entry to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or arrest him if he enters the country,” the New York-based rights group said Tuesday as Netanyahu’s office announced a visit to Hungary this week following an invitation from Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Last November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Human rights group Amnesty International has also called on Hungary to arrest Netanyahu if he travels to the country and hand him over to the ICC. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Israel is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its military actions in Gaza, where it has killed more than 50,000 people since attacks on Oct. 7, 2023 by the Palestinian group Hamas.