Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flies to Italy Thursday for talks with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and a visit to the World Expo 2015 in Milan, his office said.

In addition to visiting Israel's pavilion at the fair he will also call on those of Italy, the United States and China.

The statement did not say how long Netanyahu would be in Italy.

Next month he is due to visit London, where a petition has been launched urging his arrest for alleged Israeli war crimes during the 51-day offensive by Israeli forces in Gaza last year.

The British government, however, says that "visiting heads of foreign governments, such as prime minister Netanyahu, have immunity from legal process, and cannot be arrested or detained".

Israel launched military action in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on July 8 last year in a war that killed 2,200 Palestinians, 73 on the Israeli side, and destroyed or damaged tens of thousands of homes.