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Death of Mahmoud Eshtewi

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Maħmoud Rushdi Eshtewi
محمود رشدي اشتيوي
Personal details
Political partyHamas
Spouse2 wives at the time of his death
Relations
  • sister: Buthaina[1]
  • eldest brother: Hossam[a]
Children3 children
ProfessionPalestinian military leader
Known for
NicknameAbu Al-Majd Arabic: أبو المجد
Military service
AllegianceEzzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades
Years of service2000 (2000) to 21 January 2015 (2015-01-21)[2]
CommandsZeitoun Battalion (1000 fighters)
Battles/wars2014 Gaza War and Palestinian tunnel warfare in the Gaza Strip
KyunaAbu Al-Majd Arabic: أبو المجد
Alleged trial and execution
of Mahmoud Rushdi Ishtiwi
Native name محمود رشدي اشتيوي
English nameMaħmoud Rushdi Eshtewi
Date7 February 2016 (2016-02-07)
LocationGaza Strip, State of Palestine
Also known asMahmoud Ishtiwi
TypeAlleged Extrajudicial execution[c]
Cause3 bullets to the chest (or possibly prior torture)
Motivedisputed
PerpetratorAl-Qassam Brigades
First reporterQassam Brigades military media website and social media accounts.
Deaths1 (Mahmoud Eshtewi)
MissingJanuary 2015, after an alleged meeting with Al-Qassam Brigades leadership, later described as an arrest.
Coronerno reporded independent verification of cause of death
Arrestsfirst arrested in January 2015
AccusedYahya Sinwar accused of substantial personal involvement by Israeli sources.
Convicted7 February 2016 (2016-02-07)
ChargesArabic: تجاوزاته السلوكية والأخلاقية التي أقر بها, lit. 'for behavioral and moral violations, to which he confessed',
TrialAllegedly by the "military and Sharia courts of the Qassam Brigades",[8]
SentenceExecution by firing squad (alleged by Al-Qassam Brigades)

Mahmoud Ishtiwi (also spelled "Eshtewi",[d] Arabic: محمود رشدي اشتيوي, romanized: Maħmoud Rushdi Eshtewi)[9][3][8][4] was killed in the Gaza Strip on 7 February 2016 by Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades militant wing. On that day the military media of the Qassam Brigades announced that they had executed him by firing squad for behavioral and ethical transgressions (Arabic: تجاوزاته السلوكية والأخلاقية) that he allegedly confessed to. Human Rights Watch reported that the confession was obtain by torture. Eshtewi was survived by his two widows and his three children,[10] and his sister Buthaina.[1]

Events preceding his arrest[edit]

See also: 2014 Gaza War, Extrajudicial killings in the Gaza Strip, and 2014 Deif family massacre

During the 2014 Gaza War,[11] the IDF assassinated Raed Attar, Mohammed Abu Shamaleh, and Mohammed Barhoum.[12][13] This was on the same day as one of many failed attempts to execute assassinate Mohammed Deif, failed to kill Deif but did kill his baby son, his wife, and multiple other people. An airstrike on the place where one of Mohammed Deif's families were living in 2014, which killed 7 month old baby Ali Deif, his sister Sarah, and their 27 year old mother Widad Asfura.[14][15] Several thousand people attended the funeral in Gaza.[14]

The day after Israel killed the wife and two young children of Mohammed Deif - and assassinated three Hamas military leaders - the Qassam Brigades suddenly executed 18 suspected collaborators in Gaza.[16] Some were on trial for espionage, but those trials were suddenly cut short. From among the executed, 6 were killed by a firing squad outside a mosque in front of hundreds of spectators including children.[17]

During the 2014 Gaza War,[11][18] 23 Palestinians were executed in the Gaza Strip.[19] According to an Amnesty International report, most were executed by Al-Qassam in the course of the 2014 conflict, and 16 of them imprisoned from before the war began.[20][21]

In 2015 they Hamas' Qassam Brigades were accused of torture.[18]

Disappearance and alleged arrest[edit]

According to the Qassam Brigades and some Israeli media Eshtewi was arrested in early 2015 as part of the investigation into the Israeli strike that led to the death of the wife, daughter, and infant son of Mohammed Deif.[22][2] But his family claimed that Mahmoud Eshtewi disappeared on 21 January 2015, after a meeting with Qassam Brigades commanders, including his supervisor.[2] The meeting was supposed to be a discussion of criticisms he had made of his commander's performance during the 2014 Gaza War.[2]

Cause of death[edit]

In February 2016, Al Qassam claimed they had executed Mahmoud Eshtewi, the commander of Al-Qassam's Zeitoun Battalion.[23] His sister, Buthaina, said that on the morning he died, the authorities told the family he would be released.[1]

The Qassam Brigades alleged that Eshtewi had been executed by firing squad,[8][2] but people who saw his body before burial alleged that he might have died in custody and been shot after death.[4][2] Ishtiwi's family accused the Qassam Brigades and Hamas of torturing him to death.[24][25]

The statement from the Qassam Brigades claimed he was executed at 16:00 on the 7 February 2016,[8] but his family said they were telephoned twelve hours earlier, by a journalist who said Eshtewi had already been executed, two hours after the family left a late night meeting with Qassam commanders.[2]

Alleged offences[edit]

The alleged offences were described evasively, the stated reason was Arabic: تجاوزاته السلوكية والأخلاقية التي أقر بها, lit. 'for behavioral and moral violations, to which he confessed'[2] which some western news media interpreted as a euphemism for homosexual activity, see below.[26][6] But most reliable sources described the charges as unnamed or undefined.[1][4][3][2] The stated reason was “for behavioral and moral violations to which he confessed” (Arabic: تجاوزاته السلوكية والأخلاقية التي أقر بها)[3][8][2] Whatever it may refer to, the confession was probably obtained by torture,[2][4] which may have been a common occurrence.[27] Before his death, his family had been told that the death penalty charge - treason (giving information to Israel that causes the deaths of Palestinians) - had been dropped.[2] There is some suspicion that Eshtewi died in custody and was shot after death, from reports of people who saw his body before burial and thought the bullet wounds looked suspicious.[3][2] The New York Times and other media from the USA interpreted the vague charges as a reference to a sex with another man.[10][28]

Local sources clarified that Eshtewi was convicted of spying for Israel.[29]

Ishtiw's family accused the Qassam Brigades and Hamas of killing Mahmoud unjustly due to interpersonal disputes within the organisations.[24][25]

Israeli public diplomacy, from official sources and independent supporters,[7][30] has told variable stories about his death at different times in different languages. They frame it as either a murder motivated by an internal power struggle, or an execution for homosexuality. The latter is often framed as if it is a typical treatment for queer people living in Gaza or Palestine.

Jihad Jabri's story[edit]

Family members told Human Rights Watch that Eshtewi disappeared after criticising his superiors (see above).[2][4] This story was corroborated and elaborated on in 2018, when a former Hamas leader named Jihad Jabari (Arabic: جهاد جعبري) published a message stating that a number of Al-Qassam Brigades leaders were involved in the killing of Mahmoud Ishtiwi because of a security report he prepared when he was heading the Crisis Cell that was formed to evaluate the security situation of the Brigades in the wake of the Israeli war on Gaza. In 2014, and to determine the reasons why the Israeli forces were able to kill a number of the most important militant wing leaders, including Raed Al-Atar, Muhammad Abu Shamala, and Muhammad Barhoum. Jihad Jabari claims that Mahmoud Eshtewi’s report was exposing a number of Al-Qassam Brigades leaders close to the brigades’ official in Gaza, Sinwar, which prompted them to get rid of him and execute him.[31] The IDF's Arabic language propaganda website told a similar story (see below).[7]

Use in public diplomacy of Israel[edit]

See also: Public diplomacy of Israel and Misinformation in the Israel–Hamas war

2017 IDF website in Arabic[edit]

The IDF created an Arabic language website to tell Palestinians information that the IDF alleged was hidden from Palestinias by their leadership in Gaza and Ramallah. They made it a high priority to include the story of Mahmoud Eshtewi, they attributed his death to Hamas Defense Minister at the time Yahya Sinwar.[7] The site was created on the orders of Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) Major General Yoav Mordechai, with the ultimate goal of, "exposing Palestinians to events and matters hidden by their leadership", according to Israeli news website Ynet.[7]

2024 tunnel files[edit]

In 2024, during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, the IDF claimed they found files relating to the torture of Mahmoud Ishtiwi in the tunnels.[32][33]

Queers for Palestine[edit]

See also: Capital punishment for homosexuality § Palestine, and Pinkwashing (LGBT) § Israel

The story of Mahmoud Eshtewi it's often used in Israeli "pinkwashing" that aims to discredit queer critics of Israel.[5][34][30] The rumours about Ishtiwi have been taken as fact by a handful of news outlets, but none of the allegations have been confirmed.[5][34] Consensual sex between adult men is not a capital offence in Palestine, and some interpretations of Palestinian law say that it is not illegal at all. Anis. F. Kassim - editor-in-chief of the Palestinian Yearbook of International Law - said that the law in question "could be interpreted as allowing homosexuality."[34][35]

Queer Palestinians, including Palestinian citizens of Israel, object to the use of queer symbols to support aggression against Palestine.[36]

Translations on of the changes [edit]

The political wing of the Hamas movement and the Qassam Brigades have both said very little publicly about the case. The alleged offences were described evasively, the stated reason was Arabic: تجاوزاته السلوكية والأخلاقية التي أقر بها, lit. 'for behavioral and moral violations, to which he confessed', English language media translated this in a diverse aray of ways.[2][10]

Variable translations of the charges[edit]

This table is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Publication Date Origin Publication Translation Arabic[A] Interpretation or other details Ref
2016-02-07 Israel Ynet "offenses of conduct and ethics" Arabic: تجاوزاته السلوكية والأخلاقية, lit. 'his offenses of conduct and ethics' "The nature of the offense was not given, but it is likely that Eshtewi was suspected of collaborating with Israel." [37]
2016-02-08 USA AP News unnamed “moral and behavioral violations” Arabic: تجاوزاته السلوكية والأخلاقية, lit. 'his moral and behavioral violations' unnamed [1]
2016-02-15 USA Human Rights Watch “for behavioral and moral violations to which he confessed". Arabic: لتجاوزاته السلوكية والأخلاقية التي أقر بها., lit. '…for his behavioral and moral transgressions that he acknowledged.' "Commanders of the Qassam Brigades initially told relatives that Eshtewi was accused of collaborating with Israel, embezzling money, and unspecified “moral violations.” Later they said that he had been cleared of collaboration and embezzlement." [2][38]
2017-02-13 Israel Haaretz various "…reasons for his execution, ranging from collaboration with Israel to suspected homosexuality." [39]
2023-11-01 USA New York Times[B] "moral turpitude" indeterminate "by which Hamas meant homosexuality" [10]

  1. ^ Corresponding words from Qassam Brigades or Hamas, with the matching part of the translation.
  2. ^ The credibility of the New York Times' reporting on the Palestinian resistance has been questioned, particularly their controversial story Screams Without Words about sexual violence in the 7 October attacks on Israel by the Qassam Brigades and their allies.[40]

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Reports from human rights organisations:

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ eldest brother: Hossam[2]
  2. ^ Human Rights Watch and others dispute whether it was a legitimate execution and characterise it as an extrajudicial killing or a prior death in custody, based on a lack of public accountability for the trial and conflicting information about the time and cause of death.[2]
  3. ^ The Qassam Brigades claim there was a trial that took place in secret, but others claim that this process was iligitimate or never actually occurred.[4]
  4. ^ a b His last name is Romanized a variety of ways in different sources: Eshtewi,[2][7] Ishtiwi,[9] Ishtewi, Ishtawi.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Hamas kills a local commander for unnamed 'violations'". AP News. Associated Press. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Palestine: Torture, Death of Hamas Detainee - Human Rights Watch". Human Rights Watch. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e "تعذيب وموت محتجز لدى حماس في غزة". Human Rights Watch (in Arabic). 16 February 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2024. لتجاوزاته السلوكية والأخلاقية التي أقر بها - For his behavioral and moral transgressions that he acknowledged.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "פלסטין: עציר עונה ומת בידי חמאס - Human Rights Watch" (in Hebrew). 15 February 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e Abusalim, Dorgham (7 March 2018). "The Real Oppressors of Gaza's Gay Community: Hamas or Israel?". Retrieved 26 June 2024. …the hotly contested story of Mahmoud Ishtawi, a Hamas commander who was killed by Hamas over allegations of embezzlement and moral misconduct, namely engaging in gay sex. To date, none of these allegations have been confirmed, and have only been popularized as fact by a handful of news outlets.
  6. ^ a b Moore, Jack (2 March 2016). "Hamas executed a prominent commander after accusations of gay sex". Newsweek. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Levy, Elior (10 February 2017). "Israeli website exposes Palestinians to Hamas atrocities". Ynetnews. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Implementation of the death sentence issued against Brigades member Mahmoud Eshtewi". Military Information Department of EQB. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  9. ^ a b Pfeffer, Anshel (13 May 2024). "Hamas leader's torture tactics revealed in IDF tunnel raid". The Times. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d Hadid, Diaa; Waheidi, Majd Al (1 March 2016). "Hamas Commander, Accused of Theft and Gay Sex, Is Killed by His Own". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023. Adding a layer of scandal to the story, he was accused of moral turpitude, by which Hamas meant homosexuality." … "Mr. Ishtiwi, who is survived by two wives and three children…
  11. ^ a b "PHOTOS: The Gaza families obliterated in just 51 days". +972 Magazine. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  12. ^ "Israel kills three top Hamas commanders in Gaza". +972 Magazine. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  13. ^ Cohen, Gili (21 August 2014). "Two Slain Hamas Commanders' Long Record of Terror Against Israel". Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Gaza: Thousand mourn death of Hamas chief's wife, baby son". Firstpost. 20 August 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  15. ^ Gideon Levy, "What Would Israel Do in Hamas' Shoes?". Haaretz. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  16. ^ Gold, Shabtai (22 August 2014). "Hamas executes 18 'collaborators' in Gaza". Haaretz. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  17. ^ "Gaza: Palestinians tortured, summarily killed by Hamas forces during 2014 conflict". Amnesty International. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  18. ^ a b Kershner, Isabel (27 May 2015). "Hamas accused of killing and torturing Palestinians". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  19. ^ Beaumont, Peter (27 May 2015). "Hamas executed 23 Palestinians under cover of Gaza conflict, says Amnesty". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  20. ^ "Hamas tortured and killed Palestinian 'collaborators' during Gaza conflict - new report". Amnesty International. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  21. ^ "'Strangling Necks': Abduction, torture and summary killings of Palestinians by Hamas forces during the 2014 Gaza/Israel conflict" (PDF). Amnesty International. p. 5, 15, 19. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  22. ^ Levi, Elior (7 February 2016). "Hamas executes member who may have betrayed Deif's location". Ynetnews.
  23. ^ Pfeffer, Anshel (10 March 2024). "Hamas leader's torture tactics revealed in IDF tunnel raid". The Times.
  24. ^ a b "Controversy after Al-Qassam executed one of its leaders "for moral and behavioral errors"". aawsat.com (in Arabic). 8 February 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  25. ^ a b "جدل بعد إعدام القسام أحد قادتها «لأخطاء أخلاقية وسلوكية»". aawsat.com (in Arabic). 8 February 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  26. ^ Hadid, Diaa; Waheidi, Majd Al (1 March 2016). "Hamas Commander, Accused of Theft and Gay Sex, Is Killed by His Own". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  27. ^ van Esveld, Bill (3 October 2012). "Abusive System". Human Rights Watch.
  28. ^ Moore, Jack (2 March 2016). "Hamas executed a prominent commander after accusations of gay sex". Newsweek. Retrieved 6 April 2016. Hamas announced that the man in charge of a number of the group's tunnels used for smuggling and surprise attacks had been executed for moral turpitude, a Hamas term for homosexuality[better source needed] … a Hamas[who?] investigation alleged that Ishtiwi had hidden money designated for his unit's weapons, before an unnamed man claimed to have had sex with him, providing details about their meetings. The investigation concluded that the money Ishtiwi had stolen had been used to pay the man for sexual relations or to bribe him to keep Ishtiwi's secret. Note: The phrase translated by this source as "moral turpitude" is translated in other sources as "moral transgressions", and there is no evidence of it being used in any other context to specifically refer to Men who have Sex with Men (MSM).
  29. ^ ""رايتس ووتش" تدين إعدام أحد عناصر كتائب القسام – DW – 2016/2/8". dw.com (in Arabic). Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 17 June 2024. Machine translation: Local sources clarified that Eshtewi was convicted of spying for Israel.
  30. ^ a b Examples of the story being used to attack queer critics is Israel:
    • "Mahmoud Ishtiwi". Holland's Heroes. Retrieved 26 June 2024. Here are some fun tidbits for Queers for Palestine-the sister group of Blacks for the KKK and chickens for KFC- to rest their green and red hats on … In February 2016, Hamas executed Mahmoud Ishtiwi – one of the group's leading commanders – under allegations of gay sex and theft.
  31. ^ "New details about the winter execution by Kataeb Al-Qassam.. and a letter from «Qayadi Taib» (full text) تفاصيل جديدة عن إعدام شتيوي على يد كتائب القسام.. ورسالة من «قيادي تائب» (نص كامل)". www.almasryalyoum.com. 27 November 2018. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  32. ^ Pfeffer, Anshel Pfeffer (26 June 2024). "Hamas leader's torture tactics revealed in IDF tunnel raid". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  33. ^ "Hamas Files Found by Israel in Gaza Detail Execution of Senior Member Accused of Being Gay". Haaretz. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  34. ^ a b c Abusalim, Dorgham (23 March 2018). "The Real Oppressors of Gaza's Gay Community: Hamas or Israel?". Institute for Palestine Studies. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  35. ^ Abusalim, Dorgham (7 March 2018). "The Real Oppressors of Gaza's Gay Community: Hamas or Israel?". Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  36. ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma (16 June 2024). "'No pride in occupation': queer Palestinians on 'pink-washing' in Gaza conflict". The Observer. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  37. ^ Levi, Elior (7 February 2016). "Hamas executes member who may have betrayed Deif's location". Ynetnews. Retrieved 25 June 2024. offenses of conduct and ethics - The nature of the offense was not given, but it is likely that Eshtewi was suspected of collaborating with Israel.
  38. ^ "Commanders of the Qassam Brigades initially told relatives that Eshtewi was accused of collaborating with Israel, embezzling money, and unspecified “moral violations.” Later they said that he had been cleared of collaboration and embezzlement."
  39. ^ "Analysis - Palestinians Freed in Shalit Deal Running the Show for Next Prisoner Swap". 13 February 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  40. ^
  41. ^ "تعذيب وموت محتجز لدى حماس في غزة". Human Rights Watch (in Arabic). 16 February 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2024. لتجاوزاته السلوكية والأخلاقية التي أقر بها - For his behavioral and moral transgressions that he acknowledged.
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