TEL AVIV – Hamas killed at least 25 Palestinian civilians it suspected of collaborating with Israel, according to sources close to Gazan jihadist organizations.
The sources, close to both Hamas and the Islamic Jihad groups, told WND that most of the extra-judicial killings of suspected collaborators took place during a brief “humanitarian” cease-fire four days ago.
The so-called collaborators were accused of leading Israeli troops to smuggling tunnels and providing intelligence on Hamas’ infrastructure inside Gazan cities.
The sources said Hamas publicly blamed the killings of the Palestinian suspects on Israel, claiming the civilians were murdered Sunday during an Israel Defense Forces “massacre” in the Shujaiyeh neighborhood of the Gaza Strip.
The sources further said the civilian suspects murdered by Hamas were publicly celebrated by Hamas as martyrs killed by the Jewish state.
After Sunday’s operation in Shujaiyeh, in which the IDF says it targeted Hamas’s terrorist infrastructure, Israel agreed to a two-hour humanitarian cease-fire facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross. The stated purposed of the lull in fighting was to evacuate Palestinian casualties.
During the cease-fire, the IDF said Hamas violated the agreement by shooting at IDF soldiers. Nonetheless, Israel extended the cease-fire another hour.
Israel lost 13 soldiers during the Shujaiyeh operation Sunday. Hamas claimed Israel killed at least 66 Palestinians, mostly civilians, in that operation.
Israel says most Palestinian casualties were gunmen.
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