Hamas-linked militants and police units in the Gaza Strip have carried out executions, beatings, and mutilations of Palestinians during the war with Israel. Such actions may qualify as war crimes. This is stated in a new report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, as reported by the Associated Press, according to UNN.
Details
The document documents hundreds of cases of extrajudicial punishments which, according to the UN, were often carried out in public to intimidate the population. Recorded abuses include executions, intentional mutilation of individuals, breaking bones with metal pipes, and other cruel punishments.
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As noted in the report, the grounds for such actions were suspicions of collaboration with Israel, theft of humanitarian aid, crimes, or ties to political rivals.
What the investigation established
The UN commission examined 249 cases that occurred from August 2024 to January 2026. In 108 of them, people died. According to the investigators' findings, nearly a quarter of all documented incidents are linked to Hamas militants and police structures. The report emphasizes that these punishments were not handed down by courts or judges but were carried out without any legal procedures.
The head of the UN commission, Srinivasan Muralidhar, stated that the recorded violations took place under conditions of large-scale destruction and prolonged hostilities in Gaza. According to him, "Hamas-linked forces took advantage of the vacuum created by relentless Israeli attacks and massive destruction."
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