Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesperson has said Britain respects the independence of the International Criminal Court after it issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his ex-defence chief and a Hamas leader, Reuters reports.

“We respect the independence of the International Criminal Court, which is the primary international institution for investigating and prosecuting the most serious crimes of international concern,” the spokesperson told reporters.

“There is no moral equivalence between Israel, a democracy, and Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, which are terrorist organisations. We remain focused on pushing for an immediate ceasefire to bring an end to the devastating violence in Gaza.”