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Being part of ‘Queers for Palestine’ is much easier than being a queer in Palestine 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ “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...” haaretz.com/middle-east-news…