It was reported today (Tuesday) that Udai al-Rabai, a 22-year-old Gazan, was tortured to death and executed by Hamas operatives after participating in demonstrations against the organization’s rule in the Strip. According to his family, he was abducted in front of witnesses, violently beaten, subjected to prolonged torture, and later died from his injuries. He was found with a rope around his neck, broken bones, and severe internal bleeding. A chilling recording circulated online captured his desperate final cries: “They attacked us—they wanted to butcher me.”
His Final Message: “They Destroyed Us”
Udai had recently joined protests where chants associated with Fatah were heard. In his final moments, he described the persecution he was facing. “I think they were members of Hamas’s military wing,” he said. “Since this morning I’ve seen them coming and raiding my house… Gaza is a ghost town.” His family said he was kidnapped from a shelter for displaced people at a school in Tel al-Hawa by masked men who claimed to belong to Hamas’s military wing. He was taken to a secluded location, where the kidnappers threatened to shoot anyone who tried to intervene.
“They Used the Harshest Tools to Torture Him”
Six hours after his abduction, Udai was found in critical condition. In a statement, his family described the horrific violence he endured: “They used the harshest and sharpest tools to torture him.” He suffered internal injuries, fractures to his skull, pelvis, and back, bruises, burns, and stab wounds. “He was stripped of his clothes on a cold night, tied by the neck and wrists, and taken to the hospital in a state of neurogenic shock and severe bleeding,” they said.
The Family Demands Justice
The al-Rabai family issued a formal demand for three actions: revealing the identities of those responsible, prosecuting them, and carrying out immediate punishment under Sharia law. “If there’s no retribution, it means the denial of our tribal right,” they wrote. The family added that at first, they were told Udai was “just being questioned,” and that Hamas planned “to tug on his ear for insulting them, then let him go.”
Tribal Tensions in Gaza: “No Mercy for the Masked Men”
Udai’s killing has sparked growing tension between the al-Rabai and Madrasah clans. According to his family, a member of the Madrasah clan participated in Udai’s torture. In response, young men from the al-Rabai family attacked members of the rival clan and issued a warning: “We will show no mercy to any masked Hamas operative who stands in our way.” Udai’s brother declared that the family would not open a mourning tent until justice is served: “We will avenge him and accelerate the punishment of anyone who raised a hand against him. We will not accept condolences until there is retribution.”
