The dawn executions, by hanging or firing squad, were the first in the Palestinian territories since 2017. Rights groups have criticized previous cases of the death penalty in Gaza. The ministry’s statement did not provide full names for any of those convicted. He said three had been convicted of murder. The two convicted spies, aged 44 and 54, had given Israel information that led to the killing of Palestinians. Israel’s prime minister’s office, which oversees the country’s intelligence services, declined to comment. The ministry’s statement reads: “The execution took place after the completion of all legal procedures. Decisions were final, with implementation mandatory, since all those convicted were granted full rights to defend themselves.” Palestinian and international human rights groups have condemned the death penalty and urged Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, to end the practice. The Palestinian Authority signed international treaties banning the death penalty in 2018. Palestinian law says President Mahmoud Abbas has the final say on whether executions can take place. But it has no effective governance in Gaza. Since the Islamist Hamas seized control of Gaza from Abbas in 2007, its courts have sentenced dozens of Palestinians to death and executed 27 so far, according to rights groups. Hamas and Israel have fought four wars and several smaller engagements since 2007, with the most recent in May 2021. Israel, the US and the European Union consider the group a terrorist organization for its attacks targeting Israeli civilians.
