In their decision, the ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant were criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war as part of a "widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza".

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.

"The states that signed the Rome convention are obliged to implement the decision of the court. It's not optional," Borrell said. These obligations are binding for countries aspiring to join the EU, the diplomat added.