Hamas sentences seven Palestinians to death for collaborating with Israel

A Hamas military court in the Gaza Strip on Sunday issued death sentences by hanging against seven Palestinians accused of “collaboration” with Israel.

Seven other Palestinians were sentenced to life in prison with hard labor after being found guilty of the same charge. Their names were not released. They were all accused of “communicating with hostile parties.”

Hamas said the convicts were found guilty of providing Israeli security forces with information about members of armed groups and the location of tunnels and rockets in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian human rights groups have criticized Hamas for issuing death sentences against residents of the Gaza Strip. The crackdown on “collaborators” reflects Hamas’s growing concern over Israel’s intelligence capabilities in Gaza.

Who are the convicts? 

One convict, a 48-year-old resident of the al-Buriej refugee camp, was detained on February 12, 2019. He was allegedly recruited as an informant for Israel in 2007 when he received a phone call from an Israeli intelligence officer who offered him work. The man allegedly accepted the offer and provided his handler with information about members of armed groups in the Strip, including home addresses, phone numbers, and the type of vehicles they use.

A second Palestinian, a 31-year-old resident of Deir al-Balah, was detained by Hamas security forces on September 5, 2019. He was allegedly recruited as an informant in 2011 and is said to have provided Israeli intelligence officers with information about local gunmen, the location of tunnels, and places where missiles and explosives were hidden.

The third convict, a 33-year-old resident of Gaza City, was detained by Hamas security forces on December 13, 2018. He allegedly started working as an informant for Israeli security forces in 2010, also providing information about members of armed groups, tunnels, and missiles.

The fourth man, a 62-year-old resident of the northern Gaza Strip, was detained on April 3, 2017. He was accused of serving as an informant since 1996 in return for a work permit in Israel.

The fifth convict, a 44-year-old resident of Khan Yunis, was also detained on January 10, 2018. He allegedly served as an informant since 2007, when an Israeli intelligence officer reportedly hired him to provide information about members of armed groups and the location of tunnels and missiles.

The sixth man, a 34-year-old resident of the northern Gaza Strip, was detained by Hamas security forces on October 9, 2017, five years after he was allegedly recruited as a “collaborator.” He was found guilty of providing his handlers with information about members of armed groups and security installations, as well as the location of tunnels and missiles.

The seventh convict, a 45-year-old resident of Rafah, was detained on January 3, 2019, four years after he was allegedly recruited as an informant. He too was found guilty of passing on information about the identities and addresses of members of armed groups.

Last May, a Hamas court upheld the death sentences of three Palestinians also accused of working for Israel. A fourth man was given life imprisonment on the same charge.

In April, a Hamas military court convicted six men of “collaboration” with Israel and sentenced two of them to death, one by firing squad and the other by hanging. The four others were handed life sentences with hard labor.