The Palestinian Authority presidency issued an unusually sharp denunciation of Hamas on Tuesday night, condemning what it called “field executions” carried out in the Gaza Strip in recent days and demanding accountability under Palestinian law.
In a statement carried PA state agency WAFA, the presidency said it “strongly condemns the recent field executions carried out by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which claimed the lives of dozens of citizens outside the framework of the law and without fair trials,” calling the acts “heinous crimes that are utterly rejected under any pretext.”
The statement framed the reported killings as “a blatant violation of human rights” and “a grave breach of the rule of law,” asserting they reflect “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.”
It urged an immediate halt to the violations, protection for civilians, and legal action against “all those involved in these crimes within the framework of the law and the legitimate Palestinian judiciary.”
PA calls Gaza an integral part of the State of Palestine
Underscoring the PA’s claim to national responsibility, the presidency said Gaza “is an integral part of the State of Palestine” and argued that restoring “the rule of law and legitimate institutions” in the territory is the only path to ending chaos and rebuilding public trust “on the basis of justice, accountability, and respect for the dignity of the Palestinian people.”
It held Hamas “fully responsible for these crimes,” saying they harm “the supreme interests of the Palestinian people,” entrench the group’s control in Gaza, “provide pretexts to the occupation,” obstruct reconstruction, deepen internal division, and “hinder the establishment of a free and independent State of Palestine.”
The PA statement did not specify the number of people allegedly executed, nor provide names or independent documentation. Hamas did not immediately issue a response to the presidency’s condemnation.
WAFA’s bulletin emphasized that accountability should occur “within the framework of the law” and the “legitimate Palestinian judiciary,” signaling the PA’s position that only formally mandated courts can impose criminal penalties and that any executions carried out without due process violate Palestinian and international norms.