UN report alleges war crimes in Gaza, citing extrajudicial killings and maiming
AP News • • world
Key Points:
- A UN report accuses Hamas militants and police in Gaza of committing war crimes by publicly beating, maiming, and executing dozens of Palestinians during the conflict with Israel, often targeting alleged collaborators and rivals without legal trials.
- The report documents 249 cases of extrajudicial punishment from August 2024 to January 2026, including 108 deaths, with Hamas-affiliated forces responsible for nearly one-fourth of these incidents.
- Public executions and brutal punishments were used to instill fear, with some taking place in hospital compounds, though the UN emphasized that hospitals retain protection under international law.
- The UN also condemned escalating violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, describing it as part of a state policy aimed at expanding settlements and displacing Palestinians, with over 1,000 Palestinians killed there since the war began.
- Both Hamas and Israel have not responded to the report’s allegations, while Israel disputes the UN’s previous accusations of genocide and ethnic cleansing, calling the rights office biased.