BICOM

International human rights organisation Amnesty International published a report yesterday accusing Hamas of killing at least 23 Palestinians and torturing dozens of others in actions which comprise war crimes during last summer’s Operation Protective Edge.

The report says that Hamas used the 50-day conflict with Israel as cover to “settle scores” with political rivals and consequently it examines the “extrajudicial execution of at least 23 Palestinians and the arrest and torture of dozens of others.” Most of the victims were apparently “members and supporters of Fatah,” headed by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and included “former members of the Palestinian Authority security forces.”

Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa director Philip Luther commented, “In the chaos of the conflict, the de facto Hamas administration granted its security forces free rein to carry out horrific abuses, including against people in its custody. These spine-chilling actions, some of which amount to war crimes, were designed to exact revenge and spread fear across the Gaza Strip.” The report also lamented that, “Not a single person has been held accountable for the crimes committed by Hamas forces … indicating that these crimes were either ordered or condoned by the authorities.” The PA recently joined the International Criminal Court where it intends to target Israeli officials for alleged war crimes last summer, although the IDF has already investigated numerous incidents which took place during the conflict.

Meanwhile, an Egyptian army spokesman announced yesterday that its forces have destroyed 521 tunnels underneath the Gaza-Egypt border during the past six months. He said that some were equipped with railroad tracks and communications rooms. Egypt believes that the tunnels have been used to smuggle weapons and fighters into the Sinai Peninsula to aid Islamists attacking Egyptian troops. Earlier this week, Egypt opened the Rafah border crossing with Gaza for the first time in 80 days. Although Palestinians were permitted to enter the Gaza Strip via Rafah, Egyptian authorities said none would be allowed to exit into Egypt.