Hamas calls for probe into Israeli 'executions' of Palestinian civilians

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has called for an international investigation into "summary executions" that it accused the Israeli army of committing in the war-ravaged Gaza.

Hamas said in a statement to have gathered testimonies showing "the Israeli army had carried out the summary execution of 137 Palestinian civilians" in northern Gaza, including Gaza City, since the start of Israel's ground attack on October 7.

The group accused the Israeli army of "digging a large pit east of Gaza City and placing dozens of detained citizens in it before executing them and filling up the pit".

Earlier Saturday, the health ministry in Gaza said dozens of Palestinians were killed this week and publicly "executed" during an Israeli offensive in the northern town of Jabalia.

The Israeli army has "executed" dozens of elderly people in Gaza in "direct shooting operations" since October 7, a human rights watchdog has said.

In a statement, Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said that 1,049 elderly men and women have been killed so far — about 1 percent of the estimated 107,000 elderly people who live in Gaza, and 3.9 percent of all Palestinian deaths.

UN concern

The Israeli army did not directly comment on those allegations but said it ensured that its "strikes against military targets comply with the provisions of international law".

On Wednesday, the United Nations human rights office said it had received "disturbing" reports that Israeli troops had "summarily killed" at least 11 unarmed Palestinians in a possible war crime in Gaza.

The killings were alleged to have been carried out in the Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City this week, it added, calling on Israel to open an investigation.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, rejected the allegations as "yet another example of the partisan and prejudiced approach against Israel" by the UN body.

The claims were "nothing but blood libel", the official added.

At least 20,258 people --- most of them women and children -- have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli army's aggression.

The war was launched following the unprecedented attack carried out on October 7 by Hamas fighters, which left around 1,140 dead in southern Israel.

Palestinian fighters also abducted around 250 people, 129 of whom Israel says are still in Gaza.