World Bulletin / News Desk

A military court in the Gaza Strip has jailed three Palestinians for allegedly spying for Israel, the Palestinian Interior Ministry said Thursday.

The ministry said on its website that the three had been sentenced to prison for three, six and ten years respectively for "conspiring" with Israeli security agencies.

The Gaza Strip's security apparatus, which remains firmly controlled by Palestinian faction Hamas, frequently arrests Palestinians suspected of spying for the self-proclaimed Jewish state.

Palestinian military courts base their rulings on the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)'s founding charter, which states that anyone convicted of "treason" – i.e., collaborating with Israel – should be put to death.

Espionage trials in Gaza are held behind closed doors, with no media presence allowed.