A/HRC/25/40 October 2013, but consistently received outright denials from the authorities without initiation of a thorough and effective investigation. De facto authorities in Gaza and armed groups 58. According to available information, no measures have been taken by the de facto authorities in Gaza to investigate credible allegations of violations of international humanitarian law by the said authorities or armed groups in Gaza, including the direct targeting of civilians and the indiscriminate firing of rockets towards Israel.71 59. Media reports, citing the spokesperson of the Interior Ministry of the de facto authorities, claim that following an investigation of the summary execution of alleged collaborators during the November 2012 escalation of tension,72 measures had been taken against four prison officials “who had failed to do their jobs”.73 Besides lacking transparency, there is insufficient information to determine if any investigation met international standards. It appears that the armed men directly responsible for the killings continue to enjoy impunity. 60. In July 2013, at least 10 people were abducted and eight severely beaten by armed masked men in Gaza. The victims reported that the abductors presented themselves as members of Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, and accused them of being involved in the Tramadol74 trade. Officials of the de facto authorities were allegedly involved in providing the armed men with information about the location of the victims. During their abduction, the men — who were covered with bruises and at least eight of whom had broken legs — were allegedly blindfolded, handcuffed and severely beaten on numerous occasions, including with iron rods, prior to their release. At the time of writing this report, there were no indications that any investigations into these incidents were being conducted by the de facto authorities in Gaza. 3. Freedom of expression and peaceful assembly Israel 61. During the reporting period, there continued to be serious concerns about the level of force used by Israeli security forces at demonstrations in the West Bank. For example, on 22 February 2013, in Abud village, Sameeh Asfour was fatally injured by an RCMB fired at demonstrators assembled to express solidarity with Palestinians in Israeli prisons.75 Another reported incident took place on 19 July 2013 at a demonstration against settlement expansion and the seizure of a well by settlers. On that occasion a woman working for an Israeli NGO monitoring the demonstration was shot in the leg with an RCMB.76 Palestinian Authority 62. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, OHCHR continued to receive reports that journalists faced arrest and questioning for work deemed to be critical of the authorities. OHCHR documented cases of Palestinians arrested for distributing political leaflets, as reportedly was the case in the incidents at Askar and El Far’a refugee camps. 71 72 73 74 75 76 14 Also A/HRC/22/35/Add.1; A/HRC/24/30. A/HRC/22/35/Add.1, paras. 40–45. See http://wap.npr.org/news/World/186975387?start=10. Tramadol is a painkiller that is sold illegally without a prescription; see http://tinyurl.com/po9oukw. See A/68/502, paras. 37 and 40; A/66/356, paras. 20–24; A/24/30, para. 45. http://www.btselem.org/press_releases/20130730_stop_using_rubber_coated_bullets_against _demonstrators.