Since Israel’s summer 2014 war on the Gaza Strip, Hamas has relied on human rights reports to buttress its accusation that the Israeli army committed war crimes against Palestinians. Most important is a report from Breaking the Silence titled, “This Is How We Fought In Gaza.”

But on May 27, Amnesty International published an article on its website stating that “Hamas forces carried out a brutal campaign of abductions, torture and unlawful killings against Palestinians accused of ‘collaborating’ with Israel during Israel’s military offensive against Gaza in July and August 2014.”

Based on Al-Monitor interviews with Hamas leaders who spoke on a condition of anonymity, Hamas was shocked by the Amnesty International report since it seemed to equate Hamas with Israel, which committed war crimes, as Amnesty International wrote in a December 2014 report titled, “'Nothing is immune': Israel’s destruction of landmark buildings in Gaza."

The latest Amnesty report has caused an uproar within Hamas, particularly at the legal and diplomatic levels, given the report's wide dissemination and Amnesty's international credibility. Some believe the report could be a precursor to Hamas' conviction in an international court — at least, this is what Hamas fears, as confirmed in a May 27 interview with Ahmed Youssef, former political adviser to Ismail Haniyeh.