Amnesty International calls upon Hamas to ‘stamp out’ extrajudicial executions and ensure justice for victims in the Gaza Strip
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Amnesty International on Friday issued acallfor authorities andforcesaffiliated with Hamas in the occupied Gaza Strip to put an end to extrajudicial executions of suspected collaborators with Israel.
In recent months, security officials in Hamas’ militarywing– the Al-Qassam Brigades – publicly announced the summary execution of one man for collaborating with Israel and their intention to execute another “informant” within days in a broader, “large-scale security” campaign.
While Hamas officials assert that they have opened preliminary investigations into the incidents, none of those responsible for the killings have been held to account to date, Amnesty International reports.
Areportpublished in June 2026 by the UN identified
Areportpublished in June 2026 by the UN identified 249 cases of extrajudicial executions and severe physical violence in Gaza between August 2024 and early 2026, at least 60 of which involved Hamas-affiliated forces. Amnesty International has also investigated and documented an additional nine extrajudicial executions and unlawful killings by Hamas-affiliated forces committed in the immediate aftermath of the October 2025 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Taken together, Amnesty says, the cases point to a broader pattern of unlawful killings carried out with little prospect of accountability – a trend the organization says must end immediately.
“Nearly three years into Israel’s ongoinggenocideagainst Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip, the traumatized civilian population has already endured unimaginable suffering and cannot be subjected to further killings, abuses, and cruelty,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas,Senior Directorfor Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International. “The Hamas authorities must immediately halt all unlawful killings, acts of vigilantism and arbitrary arrests.”
She continued, Restoring law and order must never
She continued, “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.”
Hamas officials have defended the measures as part of an effort to restore security in a territory where courts, police forces, and other civilian institutions have been severely weakened by nearly three years of war. But human rights groups say the collapse of Gaza’s judicial system does not give armed factions a license to bypass due process or the authority to carry out summary executions.
One of thecaseshighlighted by Amnesty International involved members of the Dughmush family who werepublicly executedin Gaza in October 2025, after being accused of collaborating with Israel. Relatives of the Dughmush men maintain that they had surrendered after receiving assurances they would receive a fair trial. Amnesty said a video it verified showed the men blindfolded and shackled before they were shot at close range.
Ultimately, Amnesty says the issue is one
Ultimately, Amnesty says the issue is one of accountability; even amid the collapse of Gaza’s institutions and widespread insecurity, Hamas-affiliated forces remain bound by international human rights standards and must investigate unlawful killings, hold those responsible to account, and ensure that accusations of collaboration do not become grounds for summary punishment.
The organization is calling for independent and impartial investigations into the executions and other unlawful killings, warning that efforts to restore order in Gaza must not come at the expense of basic legal protections.
Source: www.jurist.org
