Hebrew media said on Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will avoid stopping in Europe during his expected trip to the United States in two weeks, for fear of arrest following the request of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant against him for crimes in the Gaza Strip.

On July 24, Netanyahu is scheduled to deliver a speech before the US Congress, and is likely to meet President Joe Biden at the White House.

Last May 20, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, announced that he had asked the court to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant on suspicion of committing war crimes in Gaza.

The United States of America is not a member of the Criminal Court, but the majority of European countries are members, which may expose him to arrest if the arrest warrant is actually issued.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said on Wednesday: “Netanyahu preferred to avoid stopping completely in Europe, and make a direct trip (to the United States of America).”

She added: "It was reported that the Prime Minister's plane will carry a maximum of 60 passengers to enable it to make a direct flight from Tel Aviv to Washington. It is expected that the rest of the entourage accompanying the Prime Minister will join by regular flights."

According to the Commission, an arrest warrant has not been issued by the International Criminal Court against Netanyahu yet, but if it is issued, all 123 member states will have to abide by this decision and arrest the wanted person when he enters their territory.

The authority indicated that the Prime Minister's Office had previously examined "whether the Prime Minister's government plane (Kenav Zion) was capable, from an international legal standpoint, of landing at a European station on its way to Washington."

She pointed out that "the Prime Minister's Office was forced to do this examination after it discovered this month that the Prime Minister's plane is not yet capable of making a direct flight across the Atlantic Ocean from Tel Aviv to Washington, and it is completely filled with passengers because it has not yet been prepared for such loads."

She said that Netanyahu's office "studied several options for a stopover in Europe, while considering holding an official meeting in the Czech Republic or Hungary, which are countries considered friendly to Israel, while this stopover would allow for a trip on the plane with its maximum load," before he preferred to go directly to Washington.

In Washington, Netanyahu will meet with US President Biden at the White House, according to the body, which quoted sources familiar with Israeli-American relations as saying that it is expected that “Biden will put pressure on Netanyahu to reach an understanding regarding a ceasefire and an agreement to release the hostages.”

Earlier Wednesday, an Israeli delegation led by Mossad chief David Barnea went to the Qatari capital, Doha, to participate in talks on the exchange of prisoners detained in Gaza and a ceasefire in the Strip, according to what was reported by Hebrew media.

A quadripartite meeting is scheduled to be held in Doha on Wednesday with the participation of the United States, Israel, Egypt and Qatar to discuss ways to advance indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian factions in Gaza.

Over the course of months, and in the face of Israeli intransigence with American cover, mediation efforts did not succeed in reaching an agreement, as they were hampered by the refusal of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to respond to the demands of the Hamas movement to stop the war completely.