GAZA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- A military court run by Islamic Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip on Monday sentenced to death six Palestinians, including a woman, convicted for allegedly being collaborators with Israel, officials said.
The Hamas-run ministry of interior and the military judiciary corporation officials said in a news briefing held in Gaza that the military court sentenced 13 Palestinians, allegedly convicted for being collaborators with Israel.
Nasser Suleiman of the Hamas-run military judiciary corporation told reporters that six were sentenced to death, including a woman, and seven others were sentenced from 6 to 15 years of imprisonments and hard labor.
He said that their ages are between 26 and 55 years old, warning that "collaboration with the Israeli occupation is dangerous and the punishment of collaboration is high."
Nasser called on those who are still collaborating with Israel and haven't been unveiled, "can hand themselves over to the authorities and request forgiveness, otherwise, they will end up facing execution."
Meanwhile, Eyad al-Bozzom, spokesman of the Hamas-run ministry of interior, told reporters "the issued sentences are a clear message sent to collaborators that this is the end of everyone that betrays his people and his cause."
Since Hamas movement had violently taken control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, 20 Palestinians were executed after being convicted for being collaborators with Israel.
However, according to the Palestinian law, any court verdict, mainly death sentences, has to get the approval of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas doesn't request Abbas approval due to an internal Palestinian division.
