Hamas executed three Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel and murdering early Saturday in Gaza City.

The three were hanged to death, said a statement by the interior ministry of the de facto government of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

One of the three was accused of being an informer for Israel, while the two others committed "murder crimes," the statement added.

The last executions Hamas carried out were in July, targeting a father and a son found guilty of providing information that helped Israel kill a Hamas leader in 2004.

Since taking over Gaza by force in 2007, Hamas has executed 11 Palestinians, most of them accused of spying for Israel.

From a legal perspective, the executions Hamas carried out are illegal because Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas did not ratify them.

Abbas' rule has been confined to the West Bank since Hamas routed his forces and ousted his Fatah movement from Gaza in 2007.