Gaza needs to bring back public hangings, senior court official Khaled el-Batash argued this week in an interview with the local media outlet Filistine.
Batash said courts should have their own police, who would implement court rulings by publicly executing condemned criminals.
Public executions would serve to deter Gaza residents from serious crime, he argued.
Hamas has instituted the death penalty for several crimes, among them murder, rape, drug dealing, and “collaborating” with Israel, a charge applied to those who provide information on terrorist activity that is used to assassinate terrorists or otherwise thwart attacks.
The group has carried out several executions already, many of “collaborators,” despite Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ insistence that by law the executions should be subject to his approval. During the Pillar of Defense battle several Gaza men were killed without trial, and at least one man's body was later dragged through the streets.
Other interviews revealed a split between top law officials in Gaza. Deputy head of police investigations Raeed al-Amoudi accused Israel of being behind the wide-scale weapons ownership among Gaza Arabs. Gaza police are trying to keep track of weapons traffic, he said.
On the other hand, top prosecutor Yahya al-Farah said weapons ownership by Gaza Arabs is a necessary part of the fight against Israel. Gaza police must not track weapons ownership, he said, in order to maintain the element of surprise against Israel in case of a military conflict.