HUMAN RIGHTS Watch has accused the Islamist movement Hamas of a campaign of attacks against Palestinians in Gaza that has left at least 32 people dead and dozens more seriously injured.
The attacks during the past three months began during Israel’s three-week war in Gaza.
“Hamas authorities there took extraordinary steps to control, intimidate, punish and at times eliminate their internal political rivals, as well as persons suspected of collaboration with Israel,” Human Rights Watch said in a report.
During the war, 18 Palestinians – many suspected of collaborating with Israel – were killed. Most had escaped from Gaza’s main prison after it was bombed by Israeli aircraft. A further 14, at least four of whom were in jail at the time, were killed after the end of the war.
“The unlawful arrests, torture and killings in detention continued even after the fighting stopped, mocking Hamas’s claims to uphold the law,” said Joe Stork, deputy director of the rights group’s Middle East division.
The accounts corroborate witness testimony reported by the Guardian at the time and appear to show that Hamas took advantage of the chaos of the war to exert control over its political and security rivals in Gaza. The rights group said the extent of the attacks “strongly suggests” they resulted from a policy decision by Hamas leaders.
Palestinian rights groups in Gaza also found 49 Palestinians who had been shot in punishment attacks and 73 who had been badly beaten.