A statement from B’Tselem….

26 Jan. ‘09: Extra-judicial execution of alleged collaborators by Hamas

According to several media reports, since the start of the Israeli attack in Gaza, Hamas has executed an unknown number of residents of Gaza that it considered to be collaborators with Israel. According to these reports, some of those murdered were of people in Hamas detention centers, and others fled the central Gaza prison, which was bombed by Israel. The allegations of collaboration pertained to the passing of information to Israel, and to past collaboration with Israel.

In light of the current circumstances in the Gaza Strip, B’Tselem cannot investigate fully these reports, or provide the exact number of the people killed in these events, or their identity. However, international humanitarian law expressly prohibits any state or organization from performing extra-judicial executions.These acts are grave breaches of international law, and all those involved in carrying them out bear individual criminal responsibility for these actions.