Hamas Executes 'Israel Collaborator' in Gaza

A Palestinian man convicted of collaboration with Israel was executed in Gaza on Wednesday on the orders of the interior ministry, the Hamas-affiliated Shahab news agency said.

The name of the Palestinian and the specific accusations against him were not detailed.

On April 19, Hamas announced that a military court had sentenced a "collaborator" to death by firing squad for "treason," but it was unclear if the individual was the same man reported to have been executed on Wednesday.

In recent months, Hamas has announced the arrest of several alleged collaborators, and warned it would prosecute any "traitor" working for the Jewish state.

The interior ministry warned last month that it was actively monitoring "suspicious movements" and that "any traitor who works with the Zionist occupation will not escape legal prosecution".

Hamas has carried out sporadic arrests and prosecutions of alleged collaborators with Israel.

On March 30, a Gaza military court condemned a man to death and sentenced another to 15 years of forced labor for collaborating with Israel. Both judgments are subject to appeal.

Last April, two alleged collaborators were shot by firing squad in the first executions to be carried out since the Islamist movement seized control of Gaza in June 2007.

Palestinian law defines collaboration with Israel, murder and drug trafficking as capital crimes.

It says the president must approve all execution orders before they can be carried out, but Hamas no longer recognizes the legitimacy of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, whose four-year term ended in 2009.

Israeli security forces routinely use Palestinian informers to thwart militant attacks and assist in the assassination of top militants.