Hamas executes 2 men for allegedly working with Israel

Authorities in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Wednesday executed two men for allegedly 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.

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 since then without the approval of the PA leadership.

Since 2005, the PA has not carried out any executions, while according to Israeli human rights organization B'tselem, Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip had carried out 16 executions since that year as of Oct. 2013.