In a statement released on Wednesday, Hamas criticized Nikola Mladenov, the UN special coordinator for the settlement process in the Middle East, for his support for Israeli occupiers and remarks against Palestinian resistance.

“Resistance is the legitimate right of nations (living) under occupation,” the statement said.

It added that based on international law, the oppressive regime of Israel that kills children, commits mass murders and disrespects sanctities, is a terrorist entity.

UN special coordinator for the settlement process in the Middle East, in reaction to a Palestinian attack on an Israeli settler, had called for trial of those behind the operation, describing the attack as a terrorist move.

An Israeli settler was killed on Tuesday night when Palestinians shot at his car near a settlement in Nablus, north of the occupied West Bank.

About 400,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel for 50 years.

The settlements are deemed illegal under international law and widely seen as a main obstacle to peace.