Mick Hartley

Even BBC Verify can, reluctantly, get it right sometimes:

BBC Verify has authenticated graphic videos that show a public execution carried out by Hamas gunmen in Gaza last night.

The videos show several men with guns line up eight people whose arms are tied behind their backs. They are in a public square surrounded by a large crowd. While BBC Verify cannot confirm the identity of the masked gunmen, some appear to be wearing the green headbands associated with Hamas.

Moments later, the gunmen open fire killing all eight. Shouts of Allahu Akbar – God is greatest in Arabic – can be heard from the crowd as the gunmen stand over the bodies.

We’re choosing not to share the footage because it is too distressing to show.

Using signs we could see in the videos and comparing the street layout with public mapping we confirmed the video was filmed on a major road in Gaza City.

Hamas said in a statement, without providing evidence, that the detainees were “criminals and collaborators with Israel”.