Mahmoud Ishtiwi was executed in 2016, and Hamas has tried to keep the affair quiet ever since. The Israeli military has found documents in a Gaza tunnel recording his ordeal and showing that Hamas continued to torture members believed to be gay

His death caused an uproar in Gaza and even disagreements within Hamas' leadership. The group has tried to silence speculation surrounding Ishtiwi's death for years.

He was married to two women, and his rank was equivalent to that of a brigadier general in the IDF (the third highest rank). Ishtiwi was also a member of an affluent, prominent family with close ties to the Hamas leadership.

However, Hamas' internal security received information that Ishtiwi was sexually involved with his male neighbor and working with Israel. Gay Palestinians are often suspected of being Israeli collaborators, in part because of an IDF practice that involved identifying them and pressuring them to provide intelligence lest they be exposed.

Ishtiwi was brought before the Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. Sinwar told him that if he were brought before an Islamic religious court, his sentence would be an execution. On the other hand, Sinwar said, if Ishtiwi confessed to "security" offenses and collaboration with Israel, Sinwar would see to his safety.

Sinwar ultimately broke his promise, and Ishtiwi was executed, even though he was acquitted of collaboration with Israel.

Ishtiwi later described being whipped by senior Hamas officers, including Raad Saad, chief of Hamas operations, and Mohammed Sinwar. "They whipped me 400-500 times and my body became different colors," Ishtiwi wrote. "There was blood in my urine and the whipping lasted over four hours straight until I lost consciousness, and they finally sent me to the hospital and ordered me to confess to everything."

Ishtiwi also wrote, "Often, four men would stand around me while I was suspended in the air, and would swing me right and left, forward and backward, for hours. I was tied for an average of no less than 20 hours and sometimes more than 24 hours, and I received hundreds of lashes." He continued, "I was beaten, tied, stripped of my skin, humiliated, spat on, had a bag placed over my head, all this without them having even a shred of evidence."

Hamas leaders were divided about the affair. On one side was Khaled Meshal, then head of the Hamas political bureau, who sought to de-escalate the matter. On the other side was Yahya Sinwar and his associates, who wanted to sentence Ishtiwi to the most severe penalties.

Ishtiwi was brought before a religious court. The council sentenced him to death after finding him guilty of "sodomy." The sentence read, in part, "Just as prostitution is considered an abomination and evil in every way, lying with a man should be judged at least the same as prostitution; in other words, death by stoning, especially when committed by someone in a sensitive position in the leadership of the Al-Qassam Brigades."

Hamas files found by Israel in Gaza detail execution of senior member accused of being gay

Mahmoud Ishtiwi was executed in 2016, and Hamas has tried to keep the affair quiet ever since. The Israeli military has found documents in a Gaza tunnel recording his ordeal and showing that Hamas continued to torture members believed to be gay

Hamas documents that Israel recently found in Gaza reveal the details behind the execution of a senior official in the organization because he was believed to be gay.

"I went through torture that no one has gone through in Palestine, not by the Palestinian Authority, not even at the hands of the Jews, but by Hamas internal security," Mahmoud Ishtiwi wrote before his execution in February 2016.

His death caused an uproar in Gaza and even disagreements within Hamas' leadership. The group has tried to silence speculation surrounding Ishtiwi's death for years. In the past few weeks, an Israel Defense Forces operation in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis uncovered the group's file on Ishtiwi inside a Hamas tunnel. The file includes records of Ishtiwi's interrogations and torture, notes he sent and received, and a diary he kept during his detention. The documents show that after Ishtiwi's death, Hamas continued to persecute and torture other men accused of gay sex.

Hamas first claimed Ishtiwi was gay for the first time in 2015. Then 33 years old, Ishtiwi was the commander of Hamas' Zeitoun battalion – one of the strongest in the group's military wing. He was married to two women, and his rank was equivalent to that of a brigadier general in the IDF (the third highest rank). Ishtiwi was also a member of an affluent, prominent family with close ties to the Hamas leadership.

However, Hamas' internal security received information that Ishtiwi was sexually involved with his male neighbor and working with Israel. Gay Palestinians are often suspected of being Israeli collaborators, in part because of an IDF practice that involved identifying them and pressuring them to provide intelligence lest they be exposed.

Two additional allegations were attributed to Ishtiwi: embezzlement of funds belonging to Hamas' military wing (which he allegedly used to pay hush money to avoid being revealed as gay) and prostituting his wife. Hamas also claimed that he used to arrive at social gatherings with his wife, where the two would have sex with several guests.

In his interrogations, according to the files, Ishtiwi admitted to sexual relations with his male neighbor, embezzling Hamas money, and stealing weapons. The files also say that Ishtiwi admitted to cooperating with Israel, but later state that it was a false confession given following severe torture.

According to the files, Ishtiwi said the tunnels for which he was responsible weren't damaged during the Israel-Gaza war of 2014 and that the organization's vital objectives had been preserved throughout the fighting.

In the investigations into his alleged collaboration with Israel, Ishtiwi was brought before the Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. Sinwar told him that if he were brought before an Islamic religious court, his sentence would be an execution. On the other hand, Sinwar said, if Ishtiwi confessed to "security" offenses and collaboration with Israel, Sinwar would see to his safety.

Sinwar ultimately broke his promise, and Ishtiwi was executed, even though he was acquitted of collaboration with Israel. Before his execution, Ishtiwi also met another senior Hamas officer, Abu Khaled, aka Mohammed Deif, the commander of Hamas' military wing. Deif said that Ishtiwi had lied during his interrogations. Here, too, the documents describe cruel treatment of Ishtiwi, saying that Deif hit him in the face in the presence of other top Hamas members.

The documents collected by IDF soldiers also show that following Ishtiwi's execution, Hamas continued to locate, dismiss, interrogate, and torture any member thought to be gay. A secret internal Hamas document from December 2019 discusses the discovery of "un-Islamic" activity by members, including drug use, prohibited relations with young women, theft, and pedophilia.

The file suggests that the organization feared anyone engaging in such activities was exposed to blackmail by Israeli security forces. But it seems that the most severe measures were taken against gay men, who were automatically marked as collaborators with Israel – a capital crime punishable by death.

The papers cite examples from 2018, when five Hamas members were arrested and interrogated for "committing the abomination of lying with a man, having illegal relations by a man with young women, taking sleeping pills, watching pornographic films, illegal relations with a young woman online, relations with young children, adultery, lying with a man, and harassment." They also mention "rebellious" members who launched missiles without obtaining authorization from senior Hamas officers.

1,200 hours of torture

The extent of Ishtiwi's torture is indicated by the documents. One of them is a rough handwritten diary from his time in detention. Intelligence officers who examined the document believe that Ishtiwi decided to write it when he realized that he would not leave his interrogation alive. The diary describes how "angels of destruction" had led him to an open grave and told him, "This is your grave. You will be covered with concrete up to your mouth." Ishtiwi added that his interrogators told him, "This isn't the first time we've done this."

In the diary, Ishtiwi describes how he begged for his life several times, writing that he asked for a Quran to swear on it before his interrogators. He wrote that he wanted to quote the Quran to prove that his torture contravened Islam. "Allah forbids killing a person unjustly," he wrote. He blamed senior Hamas officials for his situation. "You, [Haniyeh] are the most responsible for this," he wrote. "I ask you to follow the matter in an independent committee on behalf of the [Al-Qassam] Brigades."

The documents further say that Ishtiwi tried to escape during one interrogation but then realized he was being held in a tunnel. He was caught by guards and then sent to Khan Yunis by Mohammed Sinwar, Yahya Sinwar's brother and right-hand man. "Mohammed Sinwar is a monster, the bad cop," Ishtiwi wrote. "Yahya Sinwar is the warm and embracing one, the good cop. [Former senior military wing member Ahmed Ghandour] is in between, sometimes like this and sometimes like that."

Ishtiwi later described being whipped by senior Hamas officers, including Raad Saad, chief of Hamas operations, and Mohammed Sinwar. "They whipped me 400-500 times and my body became different colors," Ishtiwi wrote. "There was blood in my urine and the whipping lasted over four hours straight until I lost consciousness, and they finally sent me to the hospital and ordered me to confess to everything."

Ishtiwi also wrote, "Often, four men would stand around me while I was suspended in the air, and would swing me right and left, forward and backward, for hours. I was tied for an average of no less than 20 hours and sometimes more than 24 hours, and I received hundreds of lashes." He continued, "I was beaten, tied, stripped of my skin, humiliated, spat on, had a bag placed over my head, all this without them having even a shred of evidence."

Ishtiwi described life in the detention cell in Khan Yunis. "The real atmosphere is dread, fear and being threatened by everyone, including the guards. My whole body has been taken over by fear. I know that I am lying to the head of the pyramid, and I know that Mohammed Sinward is known for his cruelty and that he almost buried me in Al-Shati in Gaza City."

The minutes of a meeting between Ishtiwi and his family during a visit state that he told them he had been severely tortured for 1,200 hours and that he appeared hurt and beaten all over.

Meshal vs. Sinwar

Throughout Ishtiwi's detention, his family waged an extraordinarily determined struggle against Hamas through an organization calling itself "The martyred Islamic warrior Mahmoud Ishtiwi." Its activity included conversations with Hamas commanders in an attempt to clarify matters, and its members wrote letters protesting his arrest. Unusually, the protest group was also active on social media. In one rare case, shortly after his arrest, relatives held a limited demonstration outside a police station in Gaza. But Hamas silenced the conversation and arrested some relatives, threatening that they must avoid any announcement or statement critical of the organization and its leaders.

Nonetheless, the discovered documents show that Hamas leaders were divided about the affair. On one side was Khaled Meshal, then head of the Hamas political bureau, who sought to de-escalate the matter. On the other side was Yahya Sinwar and his associates, who wanted to sentence Ishtiwi to the most severe penalties.

Ishtiwi's family even tried to contact Sinwar personally with a request to release him and clear his name. "Allah does not like the public mention of evil except by one who has been wronged, and ever is Allah hearing and knowing, Ishtiwi's brother, Hasem, wrote, quoting the Quran, in his letter to Sinwar, which was found among the documents.

He added, "Any doubt should be interpreted in favor of the accused. The burden of proof is placed wholly on the prosecutor. It is not the duty of the accused to prove his innocence, and the accused should not be forced to submit evidence that would incriminate him in any way. In particular, this should not be done by coercion, which often may be expressed in physical and mental torture."

The letter failed to convince Sinwar, and in April 2015, he sent a note to Ishtiwi's cell saying, "Believe me, you will speak the truth only when the concrete reaches your mouth." The threat was effective: shortly thereafter, Ishtiwi agreed to confess.

Ishtiwi's confession, which was also found in the tunnel, was written by his interrogators and states that the suspect had sexual relations with a neighbor, Saad, over many years. The interrogators claimed that Ishtiwi had initiated the relationship and seduced his neighbor. They claimed he would bribe the neighbor with benefits to pursue their sexual relationship. The interrogators added that the meetings were held in Ishtiwi's home, in rented apartments, and in an Al-Qassam Brigades jeep.

"When Saad began seeking relations with women, Ishtiwi persuaded his wife to join him in their sexual relations," states the interrogation summary. "She strongly objected, but ultimately became addicted to the group sex sessions and watching pornographic films, and even put on makeup and danced before the two men." The summary continues, "Ishtiwi confessed to stealing and selling weapons from the Al-Qassam Brigades, including the personal firearm of [former Hamas military chief of staff] Ahmed Al-Jabari."

Ishtiwi told his family that the allegations were false and that his confession had been coerced. In a note passed to relatives during a visit, he wrote, "My brother Hasem, I was severely tortured to the point that they almost killed me. I therefore confessed lies to them and admitted to them things that I have never done. My brother, I am innocent."

Ultimately, following his confession and in violation of Sinwar's promise, Ishtiwi was brought before a religious court. The council sentenced him to death after finding him guilty of "sodomy." The sentence read, in part, "Just as prostitution is considered an abomination and evil in every way, lying with a man should be judged at least the same as prostitution; in other words, death by stoning, especially when committed by someone in a sensitive position in the leadership of the Al-Qassam Brigades."

The religious court also convicted Ishtiwi of corruption for the offenses to which he confessed, including embezzlement of Hamas funds, extravagant behavior and a prideful lifestyle. "The most abominable act is soliciting his wife into an act of prostitution," ruled the court, adding that he should be executed. The court ruled that Ishtiwi would be executed as divine punishment, not as an apostate from Islam – that is, the suspicion of collaboration with Israeli security forces was not reflected in the sentence. For this reason, Ishtiwi kept the right to be buried as a Muslim, according to the group's rules. Had he been accused of collaborating with Israel – high treason – he would have been refused a Muslim burial, staining his and his family's honor.

Ishtiwi's final letter to his wife was in another notebook found by the IDF. "I ask to die at your feet as I kiss them," he wrote, referencing a quote attributed to the Prophet Mohammed, "Paradise is at the feet of the mother."

"I swear that I did not betray my brother's blood," he added. "I will settle accounts with those who abused me," he added, citing Raad Saad. "Allah will forgive me my sins and remember the good deeds in my life."

In February 2016, Hamas said in a short announcement that Mahmoud Ishtiwi had been executed pursuant to a verdict by the religious court of the Al-Qassam Brigades. His crime was declared to be serious "moral offenses to which he confessed."

In his will, included among the documents, Ishtiwi asked that his home be converted into a place of worship. "Praise be to Allah that I will die as a slave, so that I will have a double and redoubled atonement before my Lord", he wrote. "I will gather all those who abused me before my Lord," mentioning, among others, Yahya and Mohammed Sinwar and Raad Saad. He concluded by writing, "I accept Allah's sentence, and do not tell more lies about me beyond that. Enough! Enough! Enough!"