Hamas executes two collaborators with Israel

Authorities in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Thursday executed two men for collaborating with Israel, Gaza's interior ministry said in a statement.
The last execution in Gaza, in October, was of a man found guilty of murder.
One man, identified by the initials Z.R., was executed for recruiting collaborators for Israel and for providing Israel with information on "resistance workshops and tunnels," which led to the death of several people, according to the statement.
The other man, identified as A.K., provided information for Israel that led to the death of Palestinians.
Z.R. was shot, while A.K. was hanged after the Gaza court sentenced them to death.
They were both collaborating with Israel for over 9 years, the statement added.
Although the death penalty is enshrined in the penal code of the Palestinian Authority, it requires the approval of the president. Since Mahmoud Abbas' mandate was set to expire in 2009, the Hamas-run interior ministry in the Gaza Strip has carried out the death penalty without the approval of the PA leadership.