ISTANBUL

Australia respects the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its role in upholding international law, said an official from its Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Tuesday.

"The decision on whether to issue arrest warrants is a matter for the court in the independent exercise of its functions. It is not appropriate to comment on matters before the court," the unnamed official was quoted by local ABC News.

Highlighting Australia's stance on Hamas as a terror organization, the official said: "Any country under attack by Hamas would defend itself. And in defending itself, every country is bound by the same fundamental rules. Israel must comply with international humanitarian law."

The governing Labor Party's Cabinet minister, Chris Bowen, reinforced that stance. "International law must always be observed and nobody gets a free pass for that," he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese avoided direct comments on the issue during a news conference Tuesday.

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan applied for arrest warrants Monday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three leaders of the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.