US President Joe Biden has said that his administration rejects the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, saying there is “no equivalence between Israel and Hamas”, Al Jazeera reports.

“Let me be clear. Contrary to allegations against Israel made by the International Court of Justice, what’s happening is not genocide. We reject that and we’ll always stand with Israel and the threats against it’s security,” he said at a Jewish American Heritage Month event at the White House on Friday.

Last week, the International Court of Justice granted South Africa’s request to order Israel to “immediately halt its military offensive” in Rafah, as part of its case accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

Biden continued that his support for the safety and security of Israelis is “ironclad” and that he stands with Israel to “take out [Yayha] Sinwar and the rest of the butchers of Hamas”.