Palestinian family says son was tortured to death for publicly criticizing Hamas

(CNN) — A 22-year-old Palestinian man was tortured and killed by Hamas militants after he criticized the group publicly and participated in rare anti-Hamas protests in Gaza, his family said.

Uday Rabie was taken last week by dozens of armed fighters with Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City, his brother Hassan Rabie told CNN on Tuesday.

Hassan said his brother had altercations with members of the group around a month before his death and had expressed fears that militants would come for him.

Uday Rabie had also participated alongside thousands of others in anti-Hamas and anti-war protests that took place in the enclave earlier last week, his brother said. Rabie demonstrated in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City, Hassan said, chanting “No to Hamas” during the rally.

Last Friday, a group of armed men affiliated with the Al-Qassam Brigades kidnapped and then tortured Rabie, Hassan said. The Palestinian man was taken off the street, days after he protested.

“They took him, they kept torturing him,” Hassan told CNN. “They then called me and said: come get your brother.”

“He was still alive” when the militants returned him, Hassan said. Rabie was only wearing underwear and the fighters had him “tied by the neck with a rope, and were dragging him, beating him,” Hassan added.

“They handed him over to me, and told me, in these words: This is the fate of everyone who disrespects Al-Qassam Brigades and speaks ill of them,” Hassan said.

Hassan said he collected his injured brother and took him to a nearby hospital. Footage shared on social media showed Rabie lying on a hospital bed, covered in large cuts and bruises that stretched along his arms, back and feet. Hassan confirmed the authenticity of the video, and said the man on the bed was indeed his brother.

Rabie died shortly after being taken to the hospital, he said.

A photo shared with CNN by the family shows Rabie after he died, his face heavily bruised, with parts of his hair and one eyebrow shaved.

Hassan, 32, said that the family is “sure” Rabie was killed by members of the Al-Qassam Brigades, and “we have half of their names.”

CNN has reached out to Hamas’ Government Media Office for comment. The media office has, however, previously said that Palestinians’ right to express their opinions and participate in peaceful demonstrations is a “legitimate right, and an essential part of the national values we believe in and defend,” adding that the protests were reflective of the “tremendous pressure and daily massacres our people are subjected to.”

The Al-Qassam Brigades has not yet publicly commented on the accusations.

A written statement published by Rabie’s family on Facebook said that “a group claiming to be from Al-Qassam Brigades” kidnapped Rabie at 8:30 p.m. on Friday. After hours of searching for Rabie, the statement said, his family was told he was in the hands of the group, who said he needed to be “disciplined” for “cursing them.”

According to the statement, Rabie was “tortured in the most severe manner with all kinds of sharp and hard objects.” He suffered “internal bleeding,” as well as several injuries to the head, pelvis and back, his family said.

In the statement, Rabie’s family demanded retribution, and that Hamas bring those who killed him to justice.

In a video that his brother said was shot about a week before his death, Rabie is seen speaking into the camera: “They (Hamas) want to take me, they want to kill me … I don’t know what they want from me.”

Large demonstrations against Hamas have been held in northern Gaza in recent days as Palestinians call for end to a war in which more than 50,000 people have been killed during Israel’s military campaign following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

In a statement, the Independent Commission for Human Rights, a Palestinian rights organization established by former Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) head Yasser Arafat, condemned Rabie’s killing, saying it views “this crime as part of the deteriorating security chaos, the proliferation of weapons, and the absence of the rule of law in Gaza, posing a serious threat to public rights and freedoms.”

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