Hamas-affiliated forces accused of extrajudicial killings and torture in Gaza, Amnesty says

Amnesty International has accused Hamas-affiliated forces and authorities in the Gaza Strip of carrying out extrajudicial executions, unlawful killings, torture and other abuses, including the public execution of eight members of the Dughmush family in October 2025.

In a statement issued as the war in Gaza continues, the organisation said civilians in the territory had already endured severe suffering and should not be subjected to further unlawful killings and abuses.

Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International's senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns, called on Hamas authorities to halt unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests and other abuses, while saying that those responsible for ordering or carrying out executions and torture should be held accountable.

Amnesty said Hamas remained responsible for preventing serious violations by agencies and individuals under its control, including the Al-Qassam Brigades and the group known as the "Resistance Security System".

Amnesty documents nine executions and one unlawful killing

Amnesty said it had documented nine extrajudicial executions and one unlawful killing in Gaza. All but one of the incidents took place after the ceasefire announced between Israel and Hamas in October 2025.

The organisation said it verified photographs and videos, interviewed 11 relatives of people killed and two health workers, and examined statements issued by Hamas authorities and Telegram accounts associated with its military wing and affiliated armed groups.

Amnesty's findings are consistent with a recent report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.

The UN commission identified 249 cases of extrajudicial executions and severe physical violence in Gaza between August 2024 and January 2026, resulting in at least 108 deaths. At least 60 of those cases involved Hamas-affiliated forces, according to Amnesty.

The organisation said some executions were carried out publicly, filmed and subsequently announced on social-media platforms affiliated with Hamas.

Eight Dughmush family members killed

One of the cases documented by Amnesty involved the killing of eight members of the Dughmush family in Gaza City on 13 October 2025, shortly after the ceasefire was announced.

The incident followed clashes between Hamas-affiliated forces and members of the Dughmush family around 10 October. The Doghmush is a Palestinian clan from the Gaza Strip known for its long-running rivalry with Hamas.

According to Amnesty, Hamas-affiliated forces had attempted to remove members of the family from a field hospital in the Al-Sabra neighbourhood, where they had sought shelter from Israeli strikes.

The family members were accused of looting the hospital and using it to store weapons and explosives.

During the subsequent fighting, at least four members of the Dughmush family and at least one Hamas member were killed, Amnesty said.

The organisation also reported that homes in the area were looted, burned and vandalised.

Amnesty said that, separately from the fighting, eight unarmed members of the family were publicly executed after being accused of collaborating with Israel.

A video verified by Amnesty showed eight blindfolded and shackled men being taken into an open area on Al-Thalathini Street by masked armed men.

Some appeared to have suffered injuries. The men were then shot at close range, according to the organisation.

A relative interviewed by Amnesty said the eight men had surrendered after being promised a fair trial.

The wife of one of the victims said her husband had called her the night before his death and asked her to look after their daughters. She also alleged that her husband and son had been tortured before being executed.

Amnesty said family members who attended the burials reported visible signs of torture on the bodies.

The organisation said some relatives later received calls from Hamas officials apologising and suggesting that some of the victims had been killed by mistake.

In a response to Amnesty, Hamas's head of international and legal relations, Mousa Abu Marzouk, said an internal preliminary investigation had been opened. He said the security forces had acted as an "immediate reaction without referring to higher authorities".

Amnesty said it was not aware of anyone being held accountable for the killings.

July execution of alleged collaborator

Amnesty also documented the 1 July 2026 execution of a man in Gaza City who was accused by the "Resistance Security" group of collaborating with Israel.

The man was identified publicly by his initials before his full name and other personal details were circulated on social media accounts affiliated with Hamas. Amnesty described the publication of those details as a form of doxxing that placed the man's family, including his children, at risk.

The man was accused of providing Israeli forces with information about senior members of the Al-Qassam Brigades, including military commander Ezziddine al-Haddad.

The "Resistance Security" group said it had conducted internal investigations and carried out what it described as "revolutionary procedures" before executing him.

Days later, Telegram channels associated with the Al-Qassam Brigades announced that another alleged informant had been arrested and interrogated. The channels said the man was intended to be executed within days.

An unidentified senior member of the "Resistance Security System" had earlier described the July execution as the beginning of a "large-scale security campaign", according to Amnesty.

Killing during an arrest operation

Amnesty also investigated the killing of 57-year-old Hisham al-Saftawi in Al-Bureij refugee camp on 17 October 2025.

According to Amnesty, about 30 masked armed men who identified themselves as members of the Al-Qassam Brigades entered his home shortly after dawn prayers.

When al-Saftawi refused to comply with an arrest order, one of the men shot him in the back, Amnesty said. He later died in hospital.

His wife, Najah, told Amnesty that she heard a man who appeared to be the group's commander question the shooter about who had ordered him to fire.

Hamas confirmed to Amnesty that an official investigation had been opened. It said al-Saftawi had been accidentally shot while attempting to flee and was wanted for criminal offences.

Amnesty said it was not aware of the investigation's findings being communicated to his family or of anyone being held accountable.

Amnesty calls for independent investigations

Amnesty said Palestinian human rights organisations, including Al Mezan and the Independent Commission for Human Rights, had repeatedly condemned extrajudicial executions and other unlawful killings in Gaza.

The organisation said it shared a summary of its findings with Hamas leadership in November 2025 and sent a follow-up inquiry in July 2026. Hamas said in its November response that investigations had been opened into the incidents. Amnesty said it had received no further response at the time of publication.

The organisation said Hamas authorities had justified some "exceptional measures" by citing the destruction of Gaza's judicial and security institutions during Israeli military operations and the need to address lawlessness and criminal activity.

Amnesty rejected that justification, saying the right to life, freedom from torture, fair trial and due process must be respected even during emergencies and armed conflict.

Background to Gaza's breakdown in law and order

Amnesty said Israeli military operations since 7 October 2023 had contributed to the dismantling of law-and-order structures in Gaza, including through attacks on traditional law-enforcement and judicial institutions.

The organisation also said Israel had armed and supported local militias opposed to Hamas, some of which operate in areas where Israeli forces are deployed. Amnesty said those groups had also been accused of abuses, including public execution-style killings of alleged Hamas members.

Hamas has governed Gaza since 2007. Amnesty said Hamas authorities had previously failed to independently investigate alleged abuses by their forces and had historically carried out public summary executions of alleged collaborators outside judicial procedures.

Amnesty said it had documented similar abuses during the 2014 Gaza conflict, including torture and summary killings by Hamas forces.

The organisation said it continued to call on Israel to end what it describes as its "ongoing genocide", apartheid and unlawful occupation of Palestinian territory, while also calling for accountability for abuses committed by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.