The three men, whose eyes were blindfolded, were shot dead from close range in the heart of Gaza City in front of large crowds, including many young supporters of the Islamist group. Spectators reportedly cheered and chanted “Allahu akbar.” A sheet placed on one body bore the printed message: “Sword mercenaries — it is time to cut off your heads,” witnesses said.
Palestinian crowd after the public execution
Hamas presented the killings as a message to Israel and the world, aimed at underscoring its authority in Gaza and its ability to detect alleged Israeli agents. The group said the executions were part of broader efforts to police suspected intelligence networks working for Israel and to deter potential collaborators while maintaining internal discipline.
A senior Hamas source said in a statement that five more suspects had surrendered themselves in the past 72 hours; security forces were reportedly detaining and interrogating them and preparing some for “reintegration into society,” the source added.
The executions came hours after Britain, Canada, and Australia announced recognition of a Palestinian state — moves that drew mixed reactions in Gaza. Hamas called the recognitions an “important step” but said they must be followed by practical measures such as an immediate end to the war, a halt to settlement and annexation plans in the West Bank and Jerusalem, international isolation of Israel and referral of Israeli leaders to international courts.
The IDF said Sunday it had deployed a third brigade — the 36th — into Gaza City after two weeks of preparations. The new forces, the military said, were operating against Hamas strongholds in the city alongside the 162nd and 98th brigades. The army said more than 550,000 civilians have so far left Gaza City and moved south.
In a statement to foreign media, IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Efi Defrin accused Hamas of exploiting its population and prolonging the war. “This strategy will not succeed. We have no choice but to fight for our future,” he said, adding that Israeli forces were focusing operations on Hamas’s central bastions “and are fighting both above and below ground.”
Defrin also charged that Hamas was violently preventing civilians from evacuating combat zones and that the group “does not protect Gaza’s residents — it sacrifices them.” He said Israeli forces were working around the clock “to bring our hostages home, destroy Hamas’s terror tunnels and secure a safer area for everyone.”
The incidents come amid renewed reports of clashes between Palestinian armed factions and Israeli forces across Gaza, and earlier claims by Islamic Jihad that its fighters had engaged an Israeli force in northwest Gaza that included collaborators, inflicting casualties.
Reporting by witnesses in Gaza and statements from both Hamas and the IDF could not be independently verified. International and local rights groups have repeatedly warned that public executions and extrajudicial killings violate international law.