The foreign ministry did not say outright that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel would be free to travel to France, but it argued that an I.C.C. rule on immunity may apply to him.

France said on Wednesday it believed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had immunity to actions by the International Criminal Court which is seeking his arrest for alleged war crimes in Gaza, given Israel has not signed up to the court statutes.

The French foreign ministry suggested Netanyahu may have immunity from arrest because Israel isn’t a signatory of the court’s founding treaty.

Provisions for immunity from prosecution at the International Criminal Court apply to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the French foreign ministry said Wednesday."Such immunities apply to Prime Minister Netanyahu and other ministers in question,

Arrest warrants were issued for Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, as well as a Hamas military leader, last week.

France has said that immunity for prosecution at the International Criminal Court (ICC) applies to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The ICC issued arrest warrants last Thursday for Netanyahu, his former defence chief, and Hamas military leader Ibrahim Al-Masri, known as Mohammed Deif, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.

The French Foreign Ministry announced its belief that Israeli leaders whom the International Criminal Court have issued arrest warrants for over alleged war crimes in Gaza actually have “immunities” from such prosecution.

The day after it helped broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, the French government on Wednesday said it believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has immunity from an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip.