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.
