LONDON: The Palestinian Authority has condemned extrajudicial killings and field executions of Palestinians carried out by Hamas gunmen in Gaza, which have claimed the lives of at least 32 people since Friday.
The Palestinian presidency said the killings, carried out by Hamas without fair trials, were “heinous crimes that are utterly rejected under any pretext.”
It continued: “These acts constitute a crime and a blatant violation of human rights, representing a grave breach of the rule of law and reflecting the movement’s determination to impose its authority through force and terror, at a time when the people in Gaza are enduring the hardships of war, destruction and siege.”
The Palestinian Authority said that such actions undermine efforts to unify Palestinian institutions under one legitimate authority and rule of law. It called for an end to the violations, for protection of unarmed citizens, and for those involved in the killings to be held accountable.
The presidency said it holds Hamas fully responsible for “these crimes that harm the supreme interests of the Palestinian people,” the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported.
The attempt by Hamas to reassert its control over Gaza, as Palestinians begin to return to their homes following the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, provides “pretexts to the (Israeli) occupation, obstructs reconstruction, deepens division, and hinders the establishment of a free and independent State of Palestine,” the authority added.
Hamas has been weakened by two years of war in Gaza, the assassinations of top officials by Israel, Israeli military operations against the group’s allies in Lebanon and Iran, and the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.
Facing increasing opposition and internal challenges from other Palestinian groups in Gaza, Hamas has attempted to reassert its authority since the US-brokered ceasefire came into effect last week by cracking down on dissent, resulting in the deaths of dozens of its opponents.
US President Donald Trump seemed to imply in comments to the press on Monday that the US had approved a “limited role” for Hamas in policing Gaza during the initial stages of the ceasefire.
However, the 20-point US peace plan that led to the truce states that Hamas must disarm and will play no future role in governing Gaza. And on Tuesday, Trump said that the group would be forced to disarm in a “reasonable period of time,” and if it did not, “we will disarm them and it will happen quickly and perhaps violently.”
