Wikipedia

Extrajudicial killings in the Gaza Strip

See also: Capital punishment in the Gaza Strip and Executions and assassinations in the West Bank and Jerusalem

There have been numerous targeted killings, summary executions, and other extrajudicial killings in the Gaza Strip and surrounding areas. A small number of people in the Gaza Strip have been sentenced to death after murder convictions in civilian courts, but far more executions have been implemented by military courts with limited accountability, and many have been comletely extrajudicial killings or summary executions. Most of these killings have been during broader violent conflicts, but the people killed were unarmed and not actively engaged in combat at the time. The violence has repeatedly spoiled over into the Gaza Envelope and the Sinai Peninsula.

There are multiple deaths for which, the reason for the killing, the circumstances of the death, and whether it constitutes an extrajudicial execution or assassination, are all controversial and disputed, for example Mahmoud Ishtiwi[a] and Fayeq Mabhouh.[b]

Gaza Strip 1949 to 1967

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See also: Spillover into Sinai (below) and Ras Sedr massacre

Khan Yunis 1956

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See also: Khan Yunis massacre § Refugee camp, Khan Yunis, and Suez Crisis

Conflicting reports of skirmishes between the two peoples were also reported in the neighboring Khan Yunis Camp, which housed displaced Palestinian refugees[citation needed]. PLO official Abdullah Al Hourani was in the camp at the time of the killings.[1] Al Hourani alleged that men were taken from their homes and shot by the Israeli Defense Forces. Hourani himself claimed to have fled from an attempted summary execution without injury.[2]

1967 to 2005

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Muhammad al-Durrah - 30 September 2000

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Main article: Killing of Muhammad al-Durrah

Rachel Corrie - 16 March 2003

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See also: Rachel Corrie and Bulldozer politics

2005 to 2014

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Zeitoun killings 2008 - 2009

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Main article: Zeitoun killings

The Zeitoun killings refer to the Israeli military incursion, led by the Givati Brigade unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF),[3] into the Zeitoun district of Gaza City as part of the three-week 2008–09 Gaza War. In the Arab world, it is referred to as the Zeitoun District Massacre (Arabic: مجزرة حي الزيتون).[4] A total of 48 residents of Zeitoun were killed, most of them women, children, and the elderly;[5] 27 homes, a mosque and a number of farms were destroyed by Israeli forces.[3]

During the 2014 Gaza War

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See also: 2014 Gaza War and Capital punishment in the Gaza Strip

Hamas and Al Qassam leaders targeted by the IDF

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See also: 2014 Deif family massacre

During the 2014 Gaza War,[6] the IDF assassinated Raed Attar and Mohammed Abu Shamaleh. They also made a spectacularly unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Mohammed Deif, which instead killed his 27-year-old wife, his 3-year-old daughter, and 7-month-old son Ali Deif.[7]

Summary executions by Al Qassam in 2014

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See also: Capital punishment in the Gaza Strip

The following day, 18 of the suspected collaborators were executed by firing squad.[8] Some were on trial for espionage, but those trials were suddenly cut short. From among the executed, 6 were killed by a firing squad outside a mosque in front of hundreds of spectators including children.[9]

During the 2014 Gaza War,[6][10] Hamas[c] executed 23 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.[11] According to an Amnesty International report, most were executed by Al-Qassam in the course of the 2014 conflict, and 16 of them imprisoned from before the war began.[12][13]

Amnesty International claimed that "Hamas"[c] used the cover of the war, which had a very heavily death toll,[6] to carry out summary executions, to settle scores against opponents under the pretext they were collaborators with Israel.[9][11] In 2015 they were accused of torture.[10]

Al Qassam commander killed in 2016

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Main article: Mahmoud Eshtewi
See also: Mahmoud Eshtewi محمود اشتيوي in Arabic Wikipedia

In February 2016, Al Qassam claimed they had executed of Mahmoud Eshtewi (Arabic: محمود رشدي اشتيوي, romanized: Maħmoud Rushdi Eshtewi,[14][15] sometimes spelled "Mahmoud Ishtiwi").[16] one of the group’s leading commanders, for very ambiguous reasons. But many, including Human Rights Watch, questioned the legitimacy of the judicial procedure that Al Qassam claimed had taken place, and accused them of carrying out an extrajudicial killing.

Most reliable sources at the time described the charges as unnamed or undefined.[17][18][14][19] The stated reason was “for behavioral and moral violations to which he confessed” (Arabic: تجاوزاته السلوكية والأخلاقية التي أقر بها)[14][15][19] Whatever it may refer to, the confession was probably obtained by torture.[19][18] Before his death, his family had been told that the death penalty charge - treason (giving information to Israel that causes the deaths of Palestinians) - had been dropped.[19] There is some suspicion that Eshtewi died in custody and was shot after death, from reports of people who saw his body before burial and thought the bullet wounds looked suspicious.[14][19] The New York Times and other media from the USA interpreted the vague charges as a reference to a "homosexual relationship".[20][21]

Eshtewi was survived by his two widows and his three children.[20]

During the War in 2023 and 2024

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Massacre of unarmed military in the Gaza Envelope

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See also: Nahal Oz attack and 7 October attacks

One of the least discussed war crimes in the 7 October attacks was the massacre of unarmed members of the Israeli military at military bases in the Gaza Envelope. The maker of the Al Jazeera documentary "7 October" refectory that fabricated war crimes that did not happen on 7 October received more attention than their real war crimes.

Alleged Field executions by Israeli ground forces

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See also: Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor § Summary executions, War crimes during the Israel–Hamas war, and Israeli war crimes

OHCHR stated on 20 December 2023 that according to witness accounts circulated by media sources and Euro-Med Monitor, Israeli soldiers summarily killed eleven unarmed men in Rimal.[22] Subsequently in January 2024, Al Jazeera reported that the number of deaths was 19. Euro-Med Monitor told Al Jazeera they believe there is a pattern of "systematic" killing, that "In at least 13 of field executions, we corroborated that it was arbitrary on the part of the Israeli forces." On 26 December 2023, Euro-Med Monitor submitted a file to the International Criminal Court and United Nations special rapporteurs documenting dozens of cases of field executions carried out by Israeli forces and calling for an investigation.[23][24][25]

Shadia Abu Ghazala School massacre

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See also: Shadia Abu Ghazala School massacre

The Euro-Med Monitor stated the victims of the Shadia Abu Ghazala School massacre were subjected to "field executions" while being questioned.[26] Unarmed people were shot at point blank [27]

Reports of parents being shot in front of children

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Some war orphans in Gaza told matching stories about their parents being shot by soldiers who invaded the family home. Bisan Owda interviewed a 5 year old child named Faisal Ahmed Al-Khalidi who said that both his father and his mother (who was 7 months pregnant at the time) had both been shot in front of him by soldiers who raided their home.[28] Other orphans told similar stories about their parents being killed.[29]

Spillover into Sinai Peninsula

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See also: June 1967, Ras Sedr massacre, and Six-Day War

Egyptian Army

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See also: Six-Day War and Suez Crisis

Two major massacres took place in the Sinai Peninsula. Ras Sedr massacre: A mass murder of at least 52 Egyptian prisoners of war that took place immediately after a paratrooper unit of the Israel Defense Forces conquered Ras Sedr.[30] El Arish massacre: Earlier in the day, according to the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, the Israeli Defense Forces had massacred hundreds of Egyptian prisoners of war or wounded soldiers in El Arish. Survivors alleged later that about 400 wounded Egyptians were buried alive outside the captured El Arish International Airport, and that 150 prisoners in the mountains of the Sinai were run over by Israeli tanks.[31]

Hamas - 2018

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In the first week of 2018, the so called Islamic State (also known as ISIS) in the Sinai declared war on Hamas.[32] As part of this they published a video showing the execution of a man they claimed was a Hamas militant.[33][32] Among the executioners was another Gaza Palestinian, Mohammad al-Dajni. He was subsequently disowned by his family in Gaza, who condemned the execution, and said they had severed ties with him.[33]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b Sometimes spelled Mahmoud Ishtiwi.
  2. ^ a b The spelling of his name in English is extremely variable, including "Faiq Al-Mabhouh", "Fayek Mabhouh", and others. Many Arabic surnames start with an "Al" (Arabic: ال), this is sometimes omitted in English, but sometimes retained. The most common Romanisations of his first name are "Fayeq",[34][35] "Fayek",[36][37] and "Faiq",[38][39] but there are numerous other ways, ending in Q, K, G, or CK, e.g. Faack.[40] The Hebrew spelling is less variable (Hebrew: פאיק).[41] His full name is Arabic: فائق عبد الرؤوف المبحوح, romanized: Faiq Abdel Raouf Al-Mabhouh.[42][43]
  3. ^ a b c "Hamas" could refer to either the civilian government of the Gaza Strip from 2006 to 2024, or the Qassam Brigades, or both.

References

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  1. ^ "Who is Abdullah Al Hourani?". WebGaza.net. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  2. ^ Sacco, Joe (12 October 2010). Footnotes in Gaza. Metropolitan Books. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-8050-9277-6.
  3. ^ a b Nordland, Rod (19 January 2009). "The Smell Of Death". Newsweek. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  4. ^ مجزرة مروعة يرتكبها الاحتلال بحق أسرة بحي الزيتون. Aljazeera (in Arabic). 5 January 2009. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  5. ^ Butcher, Tim (19 January 2009). "Gaza: Palestinian family mourns 48 dead". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  6. ^ a b c "PHOTOS: The Gaza families obliterated in just 51 days". +972 Magazine. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  7. ^ Gideon Levy in Haaretz
  8. ^ Gold, Shabtai (22 August 2014). "Hamas executes 18 'collaborators' in Gaza". Haaretz. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Gaza: Palestinians tortured, summarily killed by Hamas forces during 2014 conflict". Amnesty International. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  10. ^ a b Kershner, Isabel (27 May 2015). "Hamas accused of killing and torturing Palestinians". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  11. ^ a b Beaumont, Peter (27 May 2015). "Hamas executed 23 Palestinians under cover of Gaza conflict, says Amnesty". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  12. ^ "Hamas tortured and killed Palestinian 'collaborators' during Gaza conflict - new report". Amnesty International. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  13. ^ "'Strangling Necks': Abduction, torture and summary killings of Palestinians by Hamas forces during the 2014 Gaza/Israel conflict" (PDF). Amnesty International. p. 5, 15, 19. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  14. ^ a b c d "تعذيب وموت محتجز لدى حماس في غزة". Human Rights Watch (in Arabic). 16 February 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2024. لتجاوزاته السلوكية والأخلاقية التي أقر بها - For his behavioral and moral transgressions that he acknowledged.
  15. ^ a b "Implementation of the death sentence issued against Phalange member Mahmoud Eshtewi". Military Information Department of EQB. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  16. ^ Pfeffer, Anshel (13 May 2024). "Hamas leader's torture tactics revealed in IDF tunnel raid". The Times. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Hamas kills a local commander for unnamed 'violations'". AP News. AP. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  18. ^ a b "פלסטין: עציר עונה ומת בידי חמאס - Human Rights Watch" (in Hebrew). 15 February 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  19. ^ a b c d e "Palestine: Torture, Death of Hamas Detainee - Human Rights Watch". Human Rights Watch. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2024. His family said they discovered that Qassam operatives held him in secret locations until February 7, when the group's Military Information Department issued a statement saying it had executed Eshtewi after sentencing him to death "for behavioral and moral violations to which he confessed".
  20. ^ a b Hadid, Diaa; Waheidi, Majd Al (1 March 2016). "Hamas Commander, Accused of Theft and Gay Sex, Is Killed by His Own". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023. Adding a layer of scandal to the story, he was accused of moral turpitude, by which Hamas meant homosexuality." … "Mr. Ishtiwi, who is survived by two wives and three children…
  21. ^ Moore, Jack (2 March 2016). "Hamas executed a prominent commander after accusations of gay sex". Newsweek. Retrieved 6 April 2016. Hamas announced that the man in charge of a number of the group's tunnels used for smuggling and surprise attacks had been executed for moral turpitude, a Hamas term for homosexuality[better source needed] … a Hamas[who?] investigation alleged that Ishtiwi had hidden money designated for his unit's weapons, before an unnamed man claimed to have had sex with him, providing details about their meetings. The investigation concluded that the money Ishtiwi had stolen had been used to pay the man for sexual relations or to bribe him to keep Ishtiwi's secret. Note: The phrase translated by this source as "moral turpitude" is translated in other sources as "moral transgressions" and can also be read as "ethics violations", and there is no evidence of it being used by Hamas in any other context to specifically refer to Men who have Sex with Men (MSM).
  22. ^ "UN Human Rights Office - OPT: Unlawful killings in Gaza City". ReliefWeb. OHCHR. 20 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  23. ^ "Euro-Med submits findings on Israeli army executions in Gaza to ICC, UN, calling them 'genocide' – Middle East Monitor".
  24. ^ "Watchdog Submits Evidence of Israeli Executions of Gaza Civilians to UN, ICC". www.commondreams.org.
  25. ^ "جريدة القدس".
  26. ^ "Israel turns schools into military centres, conducting field executions and mass killings". Euro-Med Monitor. Archived from the original on 13 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  27. ^ Najjar, Farah; Harb, Ali (13 December 2023). "Displaced 'killed point-blank' in Gaza school". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  28. ^ https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240310-a-5-year-old-gazan-child-recounts-how-israeli-soldiers-shot-his-pregnant-mum-and-dad-in-front-of-his-eyes/
  29. ^ https://uk.news.yahoo.com/israel-hamas-war-palestinian-siblings-215400197.html
  30. ^ "New Mass Grave of 1967 War POWs discovered in Ras Sedr". Al Jazirah (in Arabic). 28 June 2000.
  31. ^ Kassim, Anis F., ed. (2000). The Palestine Yearbook of International Law, 1998-1999. Martinus Nijhoff. p. 181.
  32. ^ a b https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/isis-declares-war-on-rival-hamas-with-video-execution-1796199
  33. ^ a b https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/2018-01-04/ty-article/isis-in-sinai-executes-hamas-militant/0000017f-dec5-df9c-a17f-feddde480000?gift=aadcd68117744681b87b11c1e0a56edc
  34. ^ "i24NEWS". www.i24news.tv. 19 March 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  35. ^ "Top Palestinian police officer killed by Israel at northern Gaza hospital". www.aa.com.tr. 19 March 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  36. ^ "Senior Hamas commander killed in Israeli airstrike last week, White House says". 18 March 2024.
  37. ^ Gabbatt, Adam (16 February 2010). "Members of hit squad suspected of killing Hamas man 'had UK passports'". The Guardian.
  38. ^ "Hamas condemns top Palestinian police officer's assassination". The Palestinian Information Center. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  39. ^ https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/top-hamas-man-killed-in-shifa-hospital-is-brother-of-terror-group-leader-assassinated-in-dubai/
  40. ^ "Troops engaged in shootout with Hamas logistics chief before killing him, new details show". 19 March 2024.
  41. ^ "N12 - פאיק מבחוח: "המוסד חיסל את אחי"". 19 February 2010.
  42. ^ "Fayeq Al-Mabhouh: a police general in Gaza who was assassinated by Israel". Encyclopedia. Al Jazeera. 19 March 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  43. ^ "Hamas condemns top Palestinian police officer's assassination". The Palestinian Information Center. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
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