GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza, said Sunday that it has killed one of its commanders over unnamed ‘‘moral and behavioral violations.’’
Hamas said in a Twitter statement that Mahmoud Eshtewi, a local member of the group’s military wing, was killed after he confessed. It said the decision to kill Eshtewi, who was detained in January 2015, was taken by its ‘‘military and religious judiciary,’’ a previously unheard-of department.
Hamas seized the Gaza Strip from forces loyal to the Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007. During periods of fighting against Israel, Hamas has killed dozens of Palestinians it accused of spying.
The group is not known to have killed its members during peacetime, and the vague language used in the statement indicated Eshtewi was killed for reasons other than spying.
‘‘We are shocked,’’ his sister, Buthaina, screamed over the phone. ‘‘He can’t be executed based on the reasons they provide.’’
Eshtewi’s relatives said they had been allowed to visit him only three times during the year he was detained. They said he was not found guilty of spying, without elaborating.
Human Rights Watch said it was following Eshtewi’s case ‘‘with concern’’ after his family told the New York-based group that he was arrested and tortured for criticizing more senior Hamas commanders.
In a separate development Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said it is temporarily closing its Gaza office after protesters repeatedly tried to storm it.
Spokeswoman Suhair Zakkout said the office will operate remotely until ‘‘local authorities in Gaza provide assurances that our premises, work, and staff are respected.’’
Dozens of Gazans have protested daily at the office in recent weeks in solidarity with a Palestinian hunger striker detained by Israel, demanding that the Red Cross help bring about his release.
They tried to enter the building forcefully on Sunday, smashing garage windows and causing other damage.
Mohammed al-Qeq, a 33-year old journalist, has been on a hunger strike for 75 days.
Israel’s Shin Bet security service says Qeq is involved in militant activities linked to Hamas.
Also Sunday, Israeli police said a soldier has been stabbed in southern Israel.
