⭕️ In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate
Press Release
On May 20, 2024, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a statement requesting the Pre-Trial Chamber of the Court to issue arrest warrants for war criminals Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, as well as three top leaders of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), namely, Mr. Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the movement, Mr. Yahya Sinwar, the head of the movement in the Gaza Strip, and Mr. Mohammed Deif, head of the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades.
In response to this statement issued by the Prosecutor of the ICC, *we in the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) are working on preparing a comprehensive legal memorandum to respond to all the false accusations contained therein. The movement affirms the following:*
*First:* The Prosecutor's statement was filled with errors and inaccuracies and showed bias in favor of the occupying state, which practices genocide against our people in the Gaza Strip, in addition to the crimes of the occupation army and settler gangs in the West Bank and the occupied city of Jerusalem.
*Second:* The Prosecutor began his steps with sympathy towards Israeli victims and their families, visiting them and listening to them in their settlements, while showing no sympathy towards our people, who continue to suffer from genocide, blockade, and starvation. The number of martyrs and wounded has so far exceeded 120,000 civilians, in addition to the destruction of more than 70% of Gaza's buildings and institutions, specifically targeting the health and educational sectors.
*Third:* The Prosecutor erred in considering that the Zionist entity has the right to self-defense like other states, forgetting that the major crime from which all tragedies stem is the occupation, which is considered a crime under international customs and laws.
Here, we reiterate that it is the right of our people, rather their duty, to resist the occupation by all possible means, including armed resistance, which is affirmed by international laws but was overlooked by the Prosecutor of the ICC.
*Fourth:* The Prosecutor also erred in considering that the history of the conflict began on October 7, forgetting more than 76 years of occupation and massacres against our people. We would like to remind the Prosecutor that the occupation has imposed a deadly blockade on Gaza since 2006.
The Israeli occupation has launched four devastating wars in recent years against our people in Gaza; thus, the UN Secretary-General said the events of October 7 "did not happen in a vacuum"
In this context, we affirm that the Prosecutor derived his information about the events of October 7 from misleading Israeli media sources, which lack the minimum level of professionalism and credibility.
*Fifth:* The Prosecutor believed the occupation’s allegations of a plan for systematic sexual assaults, but the occupation could not present a single piece of evidence for it. It is horrifying that the Prosecutor reiterated these accusations and attributed them to the leadership of the movement, as well as repeating the occupation’s allegations of torture and genocide and other lies!
*Sixth:* The Prosecutor's blatant bias was evident when he directed accusations and requested an arrest warrant against the head of the movement, who is a political figure residing outside Gaza, and has paid a heavy price like all our people, when the criminal occupation targeted and killed his sons and grandchildren. In contrast, the Prosecutor did not direct any accusations at the Israeli Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, who issues orders for all acts of killing, destruction, and genocide, and appears repeatedly in the field!
*In conclusion,* the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), while affirming its respect for international law, notes that the Israeli occupying state rebels against it and international legitimacy decisions, despises international justice and its decisions, and accuses it of bias and anti-Semitism.