Israeli reports said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to meet with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy during his visit to Israel on Friday.

According to Israel's Channel 13 News and The Times of Israel, the British government made several requests for a meeting with Netanyahu, but received negative responses due to Netanyahu's "timeline."

Reports indicated that the Israeli Prime Minister is angry at the decision of the new British government led by Keir Starmer to withdraw its objections to the International Criminal Court considering issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Galant.

In contrast, the Middle East Eye website quoted a source in the British Foreign Office as saying that there were no plans for David Lammy to meet Netanyahu.

Lamy visited Israel on a joint trip with his French counterpart, Stephane Le Foll, and the two ministers met with their Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, and Minister of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer.

The British Foreign Secretary warned that the situation in the Middle East is likely to spiral out of control, and described the situation in the Gaza Strip as devastating. He said that reaching an urgent ceasefire agreement "is in the long-term interest of the Israelis and Palestinians, and the entire region."

The British Foreign Secretary urged all parties to engage in negotiations in good faith and show the necessary flexibility to reach an agreement.

On July 26, the new British government withdrew its objection to the ICC issuing an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Galant, saying the case "concerns the court's work."

A British government spokesman said the decision "represents neither an objection nor an approval" of the ICC case, adding that "the government believes strongly in the rule of law and the separation of powers", noting that the court must make independent decisions.

Israel is defying the request of the International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan - last May - to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Galant on several charges, including committing "crimes against humanity" in Gaza.

With American support, Israel is waging a devastating war on Gaza, leaving more than 40,000 martyrs - most of them children and women - and more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.