Prominent anti-Hamas Gazan activist assassinated by terror group - report

Ziad Abu Hayya, a prominent anti-Hamas activist, was killed by Hamas-affiliated gunmen in an assassination on Friday, according to Arab media reports.

Abu Hayya became prominent in August when he called on the world to “save us from Hamas” in a video captured by Al Arabiya.

An armed group affiliated with Hamas stormed his tent in Khan Yunis, dragged him naked in front of everyone there, and took him to an unknown location while beating and kicking him, according to Al Hadath.

نازح فلسطيني في #غزة يصرخ: "أنقذونا من #حماس قبل اليهود.. كل يوم بيتاجروا في دمنا"#العربية pic.twitter.com/4tqtQSQX8r

— العربية (@AlArabiya) August 9, 2024

Hamas suppresses dissent

Abu Hayya was a regular target for Hamas enforcers, who tortured him in September, leaving him hospitalized.

They threatened him, telling him to refrain from talking to the media, in particular Arab media, or it could cost him his life.

Fatah condemned the murder, saying it held Hamas entirely responsible for his death, also accusing the terrorist organization of stealing property and robbing public banks in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas routinely uses torture as a method of suppression against dissidents in the coastal enclave.

Videos recovered from the Gaza Strip by the IDF and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) showed multiple instances of Hamas torturing Gazan civilians who had opposed their rule of the territory.