Hamas defends public executions of Palestinians, threatens fragile peace deal by refusing to lay down arms

Hamas defended the gruesome public executions it carried out against Palestinians earlier this week as the terrorist group says it has no plans to lay down its arms — throwing a massive wrench into the already tense peace negotiations with Israel.

Hamas politburo member Mohammed Nazzal told Reuters that “exceptional measures” had to be taken when it carried out public killings in Gaza on Monday, which drew widespread criticism for their extreme violence. He claimed that those executed were criminals guilty of murder...