New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday said the city lacks the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant, while urging the US government to enforce it.

In a video statement, Mamdani described Netanyahu as a "war criminal" and "the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people", adding that the city's Law Department had examined whether the New York Police Department (NYPD) could execute the ICC warrant during Netanyahu's expected visit to New York in September.

The review concluded that the city does not have the independent legal authority to enforce the warrant.

"Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large," Mamdani said. "While we cannot end the genocide on our own, we can decide whether our silence will become another weapon."

The announcement came days after Mamdani told The Interview, a New York Times programme, that he had been in active discussions with city lawyers about the possibility of enforcing the ICC warrant issued against Netanyahu in 2024.

However, there appears to be little prospect of federal authorities acting on the warrant. US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Netanyahu would not be arrested in the United States "in any way, shape, or form". The United States is not a member of the ICC.

Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, dismissed Mamdani's remarks, accusing him of promoting "Hamas' propaganda" and urging him to focus on governing New York.

During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani had pledged to direct the NYPD to arrest Netanyahu should he visit the city. Netanyahu's office later criticised the proposal, accusing the mayor of engaging in political theatre instead of addressing problems facing New York.

The ICC issued arrest warrants in 2024 for Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the war in Gaza. Both men have denied the allegations.

The warrants allege they deliberately deprived Gaza's civilian population of essential supplies, including food, water, fuel and medicine. Israel has rejected the accusations and maintains it has taken extensive measures to minimise civilian casualties while fighting Hamas.

The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif on charges of crimes against humanity, although Israel says he was killed in an airstrike before the warrant was issued.