Beirut, June 22 (RHC)-- Hamas has strongly criticized the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for applying for arrest warrants against the senior leaders of the Palestinian resistance movement out of bias in favor of the Israeli regime.

The movement issued the remarks in a press release on Thursday in reference to Karim Khan’s requesting the Pre-Trial Chamber of the Court to issue the warrants last month.

The press release denounced Khan for overlooking realities on the ground as well as “bias in favor of the occupying regime, which practices genocide against our people in the Gaza Strip.”

By seeking arrest warrants against both Israeli regime officials and Hamas leaders, ICC is equating the genocidal regime with fighters who have the right to defend themselves.  It was referring to a genocidal war that the regime has been waging against Gaza since October 7 in response to a retaliatory operation by the territory’s resistance groups.

Around 250 people were taken captive during the operation.  The war, however, has so far killed and injured upwards of 120,000 Palestinians and destroyed more than 70 percent of the coastal sliver’s buildings, especially healthcare and educational structures.

Hamas noted that the prosecutor had considered the regime to be entitled to the “right of self-defense,” but had overlooked the fact that “the major crime from which all tragedies stem is the occupation, which is considered a crime under international customs and laws.”

“We reiterate that it is the right of our people, rather their duty, to resist the occupation by all possible means, including [through] armed resistance, which is affirmed by international laws but was overlooked by the prosecutor,” the movement asserted.

It reminded that the occupation towed a 76-year-long history that had featured four devastating wars against Gaza and a 2006-present crippling blockade targeting the territory.  In the same context, Hamas cited United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as noting previously that “the events of October 7 did not happen in a vacuum."

Hamas, meanwhile, lambasted Khan for crediting the regime’s allegations against the group of planning “systematic sexual assaults,” for which Tel Aviv had failed to produce “a single piece of evidence.”

“The Prosecutor and the ICC are facing a historic test of their credibility,” the press release said.

It also advised the court to resist pressure applied to it by the Israeli regime’s Western backers, including the United States.  “The world needs real equality and prompt justice, free from the dominance, influence, and arrogance of great powers.”