UN voices ‘deep concern’ over killing of Gaza man by his own family
World body’s human rights agency calls for Hamas to investigate Ahmed Barhoum’s execution for suspected collaboration with Israel
The UN expressed “deep concern” on Tuesday over the killing of a Gaza man by family members last week over his suspected collaboration with Israel.
The Hamas terror group suspected Ahmed Barhoum aided Israel in killing three of its commanders during the 2014 Gaza war.
In a statement, the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said it “condemns this killing in the strongest terms and reminds the de facto authorities in Gaza of their legally binding obligation to respect and protect the right to life and security of every person in Gaza.”
It called on Gaza’s Hamas leaders “to undertake immediate, full, independent and impartial investigation into this killing in order to bring the perpetrators to justice and to deter further violations of the right to life.”
On Friday, Barhoum’s family said that a relative shot him dead, but did not say which family member pulled the trigger. It said they followed developments in the Hamas investigation and believed their son was guilty.
The family noted the relative was arrested and interrogated by the “resistance,” meaning he was detained outside the Palestinian litigation system.
The UN said Barhoum had been abducted by “masked men” two months ago and held at a military site belonging to an “armed group” it didn’t name.
The Hamas commanders were killed near the end of the 50-day war with Israel in 2014 during an airstrike on a house.
Hamas has executed dozens of Palestinians for collaboration since seizing Gaza in 2007.
