Last week I quoted the anti-Hamas Palestine Press Agency as saying that Hamas was considering passing a new penal code in Gaza, based on Islamic Sharia law, that would impose (among other penalties) chopping off the hands of thieves.
This has been confirmed by an article in Al Hayat, where they mention other laws that would go with it, such as the death penalty for adultery, administering lashes for drinking, gambling or "verbal abuse," and the lowering of the age of marriage for girls to 10 years old.
The article notes that there is disagreement within Hamas itself whether this penal code should be approved, with some saying that it should not and others saying that alternative punishments like jail time instead of flogging might be more appropriate.
So far, human rights organizations are silent.
