UN Report: Militants And Police Executed Dozens, Maimed Palestinians In Gaza
UN report alleges militants and police maimed Palestinians Gaza
A United Nations report has alleged that Hamas-affiliated militants and police units in Gaza carried out extrajudicial punishments, including beatings, maiming, and public executions of dozens of Palestinians during the ongoing conflict with Israel, raising concerns of potential war crimes. The report, released by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, documented hundreds of cases of alleged unlawful punishment across the territory.
It stated that such acts were frequently publicized during and after their occurrence, with the apparent intent of instilling fear among the population. According to the findings, the incidents included executions, kneecapping, bone-breaking using metal pipes or cement blocks, and severe beatings. The report said these acts were framed by perpetrators as punishment for alleged collaboration with Israel, theft of humanitarian aid, drug-related offenses, looting, or affiliation with rival groups operating within Gaza.
The commission found that Hamas-affiliated forces, including militants and police units linked to Hamas, were implicated in nearly one-fourth of the 249 documented cases, which included 108 deaths between August 2024 and January 2026. It noted that punishments were carried out outside judicial systems, without formal trials or legal oversight.
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The report also highlighted that the ongoing war and widespread destruction had created conditions that enabled such abuses, according to comments from the commission’s chair, who said armed groups exploited the vacuum left by sustained military operations. The conflict has significantly weakened governance structures in parts of Gaza, where internal factions and armed groups have also emerged alongside Hamas’s continuing control.
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