GAZA: HAMAS PLANS 13 PUBLIC EXECUTIONS

May 22, 2016: Authorities in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip are planning to carry out a series of public executions, the attorney general for the Palestinian enclave said.
The group has carried out previous executions in Gaza, although rarely in public and mainly of people accused of collaborating with Israel. The announcement involved those convicted of criminal offenses. “Capital punishments will be implemented soon in Gaza,” attorney general Ismail Jaber told journalists. “I ask that they take place before a large crowd.” Thirteen men, most convicted of murder connected to robberies, are currently awaiting execution, Hamas official Khalil al-Haya said on May 20 at the mainly weekly Muslim prayers. “The victims’ families have the right to demand that the punishments be implemented,” he said. The families obtained rare permission on May 22 to stage a demonstration outside parliament, with dozens demanding that the executions be carried out. (Sources: AFP and Times of Israel May 22, 2016)