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🇮🇱 Israel /Crime & Justice

Amnesty International issues rare condemnation of Hamas, demands end to extrajudicial executions

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Amnesty International has demanded that Hamas cease extrajudicial executions of suspected collaborators with Israel, citing unlawful killings and arbitrary arrests.
  • The organization criticized Hamas for failing to hold accountable those responsible for executions, some of which were carried out publicly and announced on social media.
  • The report details specific cases, including the execution of a man for allegedly informing Israel on Hamas commanders, noting that neither victim received a fair trial.

Amnesty International issued a rare condemnation of Hamas on Friday, demanding an immediate halt to extrajudicial executions of individuals suspected of collaborating with Israel. The human rights organization accused Hamas of unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests, and carrying out reprisals against Palestinian families.

The Hamas authorities must immediately halt all unlawful killings, acts of vigilantism, and arbitrary arrests. Restoring law and order must never serve as a cover to commit grave human rights violations, carry out reprisals, or to collectively punish entire families.

— Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy, and CampaignsDemanding Hamas cease human rights violations and extrajudicial killings.

While Amnesty has frequently criticized Israel's actions, this statement specifically targets Hamas's conduct in Gaza. "The Hamas authorities must immediately halt all unlawful killings, acts of vigilantism, and arbitrary arrests," stated Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy, and Campaigns. She added that restoring law and order should not be a pretext for grave human rights violations or collective punishment.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, had previously confirmed the execution of one man for allegedly providing Israel with the location of high-ranking commanders. Amnesty reported that neither the executed man nor another intended victim received a fair trial, with Hamas citing only "revolutionary procedures" and internal investigations.

revolutionary procedures

— HamasDescribing the internal process before executing a man for alleged collaboration.

Amnesty's report indicates that Hamas-affiliated forces were responsible for at least 60 of 249 extrajudicial killings between August 2024 and early 2026, according to a UN report. Some of these executions were reportedly filmed and publicized on social media, which Amnesty stated put the deceased's families at risk. Despite Hamas's claims of internal investigations, Amnesty stated it had received no evidence of accountability for those responsible for ordering and carrying out these acts.

Those responsible for ordering and carrying out extrajudicial executions as well as arbitrary arrests, torture, and other ill-treatment must be held accountable. Despite its announcement of the dissolution of the governing committee that administers Gaza, Hamas remains fully responsible for preventing serious violations by its agencies and individuals under its control, including Al-Qassam Brigades and the ‘Resistance Security System.’

— Erika Guevara-RosasEmphasizing Hamas's continued responsibility for accountability despite administrative changes.
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Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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