Gaza:
The ruling Hamas Islamists in Gaza executed five Palestinians on Sunday, two of them on charges of spying for Israel dating back to 2015 and 2009, the interior ministry said.
The sunrise executions, by hanging or firing squad, were the first in the Palestinian territories since 2017. Past deaths in Gaza have come under criticism from human rights groups.
The statement from the ministry did not give full names for any of the convicted men. It said three had been convicted of murder. The two convicted spies, aged 44 and 54, had provided Israel with information that led to the murder of Palestinians.
The Israeli prime minister’s office, which oversees the country’s intelligence services, declined to comment.
“The execution was carried out after all legal proceedings had been completed. The verdicts were final and execution was mandatory, after all convicts were given the full right to defend themselves,” the statement said.
Reuters could not immediately confirm this.
Palestinian and international human rights organizations have condemned the death penalty and are urging Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, which exercise limited self-government in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, to end the practice.
Under Palestinian law, President Mahmoud Abbas has the final say on whether executions can be carried out. But he has no effective rule in Gaza.
Since Hamas took control of Gaza from Abbas in 2007, the courts have sentenced dozens of Palestinians to death and have executed 27 so far, according to human rights groups.