2009 Hamas political violence in Gaza The 2009 Hamas political violence took place in the Gaza Strip during and after the 2008 – 2009 Israel – Gaza conflict . A series of violent acts , ranging from physical assaults , torture , and executions of Palestinians suspected of collaboration with the Israel Defence Forces , as well as members of the Fatah political party , occurred . According to Human Rights Watch , at least 32 people were killed by these attacks : 18 during the conflict and 14 afterward , and several dozen more were maimed , many by shots to the legs . Suspected collaborators . Many of the attacks were against people suspected of being informants during the war . Hamas has denied its connection to these attacks , although it admitted that it had been making related arrests in an attempt to re - assert its authority over Gaza . According to a Hamas spokesperson , " The internal security service was instructed to track collaborators and hit them hard . They arrested dozens of collaborators who attempted to strike at Hamas by giving information to Israel about the fighters . " Another Hamas official said , " Maybe some of them were killed because they were acting against the population , against the resistance . " A report in the Qatar - based newspaper " Al - Sharq " quoted Moussa Abu Marzuk , a high - ranking Hamas official , as confirming that the organisation had killed known collaborators . " Ha ' aretz " , an Israeli newspaper , reported on January 30 that a number of Palestinian spies working in Gaza for Israel had been " intercepted " by Hamas . The information these agents fed to the Israeli military was said to have been used " carelessly " , and this may have led to their exposure and subsequent executions . A human rights group based in Ramallah decried the attacks , releasing a statement that read , " A number of citizens have been extra - judicially executed during and after the Israeli military aggression on the Gaza Strip . . . Fire was opened on affected citizens at a close distance . In addition , individuals in official uniform or masked persons opened fire on people ' s legs , severely beat others , imposed house arrests , and threatened to punish citizens along with their families if they would not comply . " Haidar Ghanem , a Palestinian journalist who was a former employee for the Israeli human rights organization B ' Tselem , was accused of " collaborating with Israel " during Operation Cast Lead and was executed by Hamas on January 7 , Palestinians in the Gaza Strip . According to " The Jerusalem Post " , " the PA state security court had sentenced Ghanem , a father of two , after holding only two brief sessions . " Fatah . After Hamas won a majority of legislative seats during the 2006 Palestinian elections , tensions between Hamas and Fatah became increasingly violent . In 2007 , both parties engaged in a military conflict , in which Hamas won control over the Gaza Strip and forced Fatah into the West Bank . Since the 23 - day Israeli assault on Gaza , Hamas has accused Abbas of backing Israel , calling him a traitor and collaborator . Fatah said 19 of its officials were executed and many more tortured . Gaza residents say Hamas used schools and other public buildings in Gaza City , and the towns of Khan Yunis and Rafah , as detention centers to interrogate members of Fatah . They said three men have been blinded during questioning and over 60 of them shot in the legs as punishment . The Palestinian Center for Human Rights stated that " Hamas operatives killed six members of Fatah " and that " [ another ] 35 were shot in the knees or beaten . Reuters reported that Hamas leadership in Gaza " denied the allegations [ from Fatah ] but said [ Hamas ] authorities had begun tracking down suspected ' collaborators ' with Israel . " Dissenters . Testimonies from Gaza civilians documented in the course of Gaza War imply that people do not dare to speak out openly against Hamas ; those who tried to object were shot by Hamas operatives .