Background
Hamas has executed suspected Palestinian Israel collaborators and Fatah rivals during previous conflicts. [1] [2] According to the Associated Press, collaborating with Israel is a crime punishable by death in Gaza. [3] Hundreds of Palestinians were executed by Hamas during the First Intifada. [4] In the wake of the 2006 Gaza–Israel conflict, Hamas was accused of systematically rounding up, torturing and summarily executing Fatah supporters suspected of supplying information to Israel. [5] [6] [7] In November 2012, Hamas publicly executed six Gaza residents accused of collaborating with Israel. [8] [9] During the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, Hamas executed at least 23 accused collaborators, with Amnesty International also reporting instances of torture used by Hamas forces. [10] [11]
In October 2025, just before and following a ceasefire in the Gaza war and the implementation of the Gaza peace plan, Hamas began a wave of executions throughout the Gaza Strip. [12] It was described by various analysts speaking with The New York Times as part of an attempt by Hamas to maintain authority within the Gaza Strip. [13] The Guardian wrote that these incidents raised concerns regarding Hamas' disarmament ("a key though ill-defined provision of..." the peace plan), though Donald Trump said that the group was compliant with the deal. [14]
2025 executions
On 19 September 2025, Hamas carried out public executions, accusing those killed of being spies for Israel. Other alleged collaborators with Israel turned themselves in, with some "being prepared for reintegration into society." The event was filmed and posted on social media. [15]
On 22 September 2025, Hamas executed three men who were suspected of cooperating with Israel. They were made to kneel while blindfolded and shot in public, as seen on videos published online. [16]
On 14 and 15 October, more videos were published that showed Hamas members forcing men to kneel and then shooting them from close range. [17] [18] [14]
On 21 October, Hamas announced they would pause public executions so as not to provide Israel a pretext to break the ceasefire. [19] [20]
Reaction
Opposition
Humanitarian organizations and governments spoke out against the executions and called for accountability. The Palestinian Authority strongly condemned Hamas' actions. [23] [24] President Mahmoud Abbas labeled the killings a "crime against the Palestinian people". [25] The Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, a Palestinian NGO, called the incidents "extrajudicial execution[s] of citizens". [25] [26] United States President Donald Trump warned that if Hamas continued to kill people in Gaza, "we will have no choice but to go in and kill them", despite initially being indifferent to what he justified as Hamas having "taken out a couple of gangs that were very bad." [27]
Moumen al-Natour, a Palestinian lawyer, former Hamas political prisoner, and president of Palestinian Youth for Development, stated that these measures are Hamas's way to regain control over the Gaza strip. [28] He said that "They are sending a signal that they are back — by terrorizing people". [28]
Defence and justification
In an interview with Reuters on 17 October 2025, Hamas official Mohammed Nazzal defended the executions, saying that they are "exceptional measures", and those who were executed were criminals guilty of killing. [29] [30]
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