Hamas military court executes seven people convicted of "tapping" with Israel

Gaza Military Appeals Court, under the governance of Hamas, issued death sentences to seven individuals accused of "collaborating" with Israel, along with life sentences to others, as reported by the Gaza Interior Ministry on Sunday.

In an official statement, the ministry stated, "The Military Appeals Court, in the framework of the military judiciary in Gaza, issued death sentences against seven collaborators with the Israeli occupation, in addition to other sentences of temporary hard labor and life imprisonment against seven other collaborators."

The statement specified that the execution of the seven individuals convicted of "collaboration with Israel" would be carried out by hanging, without providing a scheduled date.

According to the ministry, the arrest of those accused of "collaborating with Israel" took place between 2017 and 2019, with details of the charges against each of them provided.

The mentioned death sentences are based on Article (415) of the Criminal Procedure Law No. (3) of 2001. All verdicts were issued publicly and unanimously, the ministry emphasized.

Under Palestinian law, death sentences require approval from the Palestinian Authority President before they can be implemented. However, Hamas has disregarded this requirement on several occasions in the past.

Since seizing control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, Hamas has executed a number of death sentences without President Mahmoud Abbas's consent.

In April, a military court under Hamas issued death sentences to two individuals and life sentences to four others after convicting them of "collaborating" with Israel.

Last September, the Hamas government announced the execution of five Palestinians, two of whom were convicted of "collaborating with the occupation," while the other three were convicted of "committing murder."

Last year saw a surge in the issuance of death sentences in the Gaza Strip, reaching more than 17 verdicts, raising the total number of death sentences issued since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority to at least 270, with 240 of them in Gaza alone, according to Palestinian human rights centers.

Palestinian law stipulates the death penalty for those convicted of "collaborating" with Israel, murder, and drug trafficking, subject to the approval of the Palestinian President.

A longstanding division between the major Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, has persisted since 2007, following the Islamic movement's takeover of power in the impoverished Gaza Strip.

Israel imposes a strict blockade on the Gaza Strip, home to approximately 2.3 million people, with unemployment rates exceeding 50 percent.



AFP