The Hamas-run government in Palestine executed five people on Sunday. Three of the men were executed for murder, and two for spying for Israel. Four of the condemned men were hanged; and the fifth man, a policeman, was executed by firing squad. The two executed for treason were arrested in 2009 and 2015, aged 44 and 54.
The Palestinian government did not provide the full names of the executed men; only their initials and age were given. Since Hamas took over the Palestinian government in 2007, about 180 Palestinians have been condemned to death and about 33 executed already, said the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR).
“The execution was carried out after the conclusion of all legal procedures. The rulings had been final, with implementation mandatory, after all of the convicted were accorded full rights to defend themselves,” the Ministry of Interior in Gaza said.
Various human rights groups have always criticized executions by the Palestinian Authority and urged the government to abolish the death penalty. Led by President Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority controls the Israeli-occupied West Bank to a very limited degree and has diminished authority in Gaza.
The policeman that was part of the men executed on Sunday morning was alleged to have murdered his father-in-law and a 13-year-old girl following a family disagreement in July 2021. The killing caused massive protests, with many shops and houses burned in reprisal.