A Hamas military court condemned five Gazans and one Israeli to death on charges of aiding the Jewish State, The Times of Israel reported Monday.
The six condemned individuals were charged with “collaboration” with Israel.
One of the Gazans, identified as Ali, was said to have been recruited by Israel in 2000 and provided Israeli intelligence with information on Hamas officials. Ali was accused of giving Israel the location of Hamas commander, Mazen Fuqha, who was killed under mysterious circumstances in March of last year.
Two months after Fuqha was killed, Hamas convicted and executed three men for the killing, despite international criticism. Fuqha was said to have been close to Gaza’s Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar. The two reportedly shared a jail cell in Israel before their release in the 2011 exchange for Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.
While Israel has been credited with killing many Palestinian terrorists over the years, Sinwar himself was implicated in orchestrating the 2016 execution of Mahmoud Ishtiwi, a senior figure in the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s so-called military wing.
Another one of those recently sentenced was identified as Amal. She is a resident of Israel and was sentenced in absentia.
Eight others were condemned to hard labor for what the court called “collaborating” with Israel.
The court did not say how the condemned would be executed. In the past, Hamas has used hanging and firing squads to execute prisoners. The method of execution is determined by the severity of the crime the condemned is accused of committing.
Two years ago, Hamas lawmakers approved a law allowing for public executions despite explicit opposition from the United Nations Human Rights Council.
While death sentences have to be approved by the head of the Palestinian Authority, Hamas has carried 25 executions since it took control of Gaza in 2007 without the approval of PA President Mahmoud Abbas. The PA’s current inability to extend its authority over Gaza casts doubts on its ability to govern a viable Palestinian state that would include the coastal enclave.
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