News - Middle East: The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has slammed as a criminal act the new round of US sanctions against a number of its leaders.

On Tuesday, the US Department of the Treasury announced sanctions on six Hamas leaders, accusing them of involvement in the group’s fundraising and arms acquisition efforts.

In response, Hamas said the move reflects Washington’s support for Israel.

Hamas said, "We condemn in the strongest terms the statement issued by the US Treasury Department, which places several of the movement’s leaders on the sanctions list and labels the legitimate resistance of our Palestinian people against the occupation as terrorism.”

“The declining US administration continues to adopt positions hostile to the rights of our people, who endure the worst occupation known to history,” Hamas said.

“It persists in providing war criminals in the Zionist regime with the necessary cover to continue their brutal genocide war in the Gaza Strip, violating all laws and conventions, while paralyzing international mechanisms and preventing them from fulfilling their duties to stop the occupation’s violations and hold its perpetrators accountable,” it added.

It said the sanctions are based on false information aimed at distorting the image of the Palestinian group’s leadership.

Hamas accused the Biden administration of ignoring the Palestinians’ rights and providing cover for Israeli genocide.

The Palestinian resistance group called on Washington to end its bias towards Israel and pressure the regime to stop its aggression against Palestinians.

“The US administration must reconsider this criminal policy, end its blind bias toward the terrorist occupation entity, and abandon the illusion of subjugating our Palestinian people by force,” Hamas said.

Earlier in the day, a group of US senators called on Washington to end its arms sales to Israel, saying the United States is playing a key role in Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.

Several progressive senators condemned the United States for complicity in what they called ‘atrocities’ by the Israeli regime in Gaza.

Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders and several other Democrats put forth the resolutions.

Since October 2023, nearly 44,000 Palestinians, mostly helpless women and innocent children have been killed in the continued brutal Israeli onslaught in Gaza.

 Source: Press TV