Five "convicted murderers" are to due to be executed by Hamas next week - possibly "in front of the mass media as a way to deter criminals" - the Islamist movement in charge of the Gaza Strip says.
Key members of Hamas announced on Wednesday that they had approved a measure allowing executions to be carried out in Gaza.
The announcement is an escalation in the conflict between Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who controls the West Bank.
A de facto split between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank has been in place since 2007, when Hamas seized sole control of the coastal enclave by violently overpowering security forces answerable to Abbas.
Hamas Attorney General Ismail Jabber told reporters in Gaza on Thursday that five convicts sentenced to death would be executed next week, while another eight would be executed after the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in July.
Those to be executed "murdered innocent civilians," Jabber said, adding the punishment must be implemented "as soon as possible to achieve social justice."
He denied it would be done in public, but added "it would be possible to carry out the execution in front of the mass media as a way to deter criminals, who consider committing murder."
He did not give details as to how the executions would be carried out.
The UN has expressed alarm, saying it doubts the convicts were given fair trials.
Hamas and Abbas have been entangled in a power struggle since the Islamists won parliamentary elections in 2006, one year after separate presidential elections.
Hamas said on Wednesday it passed the law allowing executions without Abbas' signature by an "overwhelming" majority in a rump parliament that only meets in the Gaza Strip.
A spokesman for the UN Human Rights Commission said the body was "deeply concerned" by the imminent executions.
"We have serious doubts as to whether capital trials in Gaza meet [fair trial] standards," said Rupert Colville in Geneva.
