Amnesty International has called on Hamas-affiliated authorities in the Gaza Strip to immediately halt extrajudicial executions and summary killings of suspected collaborators, warning that a collapse of law and order must not serve as a cover for grave human rights abuses. The demand follows a public announcement by security officials within Hamas’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, detailing the summary execution of a man accused of collaborating with Israel. The group also stated its intention to execute another alleged informant within days as part of what officials termed a large-scale security campaign.
### Documented Killings and UN Findings
According to a June 2026 United Nations report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, 249 cases of extrajudicial executions and severe physical violence were documented across Gaza between August 2024 and January 2026. At least 108 of those cases resulted in deaths, with at least 60 involving Hamas-affiliated forces. Some of these executions occurred publicly and were filmed and shared on Telegram channels tied to Hamas. Amnesty International’s own investigations documented nine extrajudicial executions and one unlawful killing by Hamas-affiliated forces, nearly all occurring immediately after the October 2025 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, stated that the traumatized civilian population cannot endure further abuses.
“The Hamas authorities must immediately halt all unlawful killings, acts of vigilantism and arbitrary arrests,” Guevara-Rosas said, adding that those responsible for ordering and carrying out extrajudicial executions, torture, and ill-treatment must be held accountable.
### The Al-Sabra Clashes and the Dughmush Family
Among the incidents investigated by Amnesty International is the October 2025 killing of eight members of the Dughmush family in the Al-Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City. Clashes between Hamas forces and members of the Dughmush family erupted around 10 October 2025, following a dispute at a field hospital where family members had sought shelter. Hamas forces accused them of looting and storing weapons. During a weeklong siege of the neighborhood, at least four members of the Dughmush family and one Hamas member were killed. On 13 October 2025, amidst the fighting, eight unarmed members of the Dughmush family were publicly executed after being accused of collaborating with Israel. Verified video footage reviewed by Amnesty International showed blindfolded and shackled men being dragged into an open space on Al-Thalathini street and shot at close range. Family members told researchers that the men had turned themselves in under guarantees that they would receive a fair trial to end the fighting. Relatives who attended the burials reported visible signs of torture on the bodies. The group asserted that the killing was the opening act of a broader security sweep and warned that more executions of alleged informants would follow. Palestinian human rights organizations, including Al Mezan and the Independent Commission for Human Rights, have repeatedly condemned these extrajudicial killings and called for transparent investigations. While Hamas officials have occasionally acknowledged internal inquiries, Amnesty International noted that, to its knowledge, no perpetrators have been brought to justice. Hamas has defended its actions by citing the collapse of Gaza’s judicial and security infrastructure under Israeli military operations, pointing to a “state of necessity” to combat criminal gangs and chaos. Human rights advocates maintain that due process and the right to a fair trial must remain absolute, regardless of active hostilities or emergency conditions.
