The Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement tries to get a legal opinion allowing it to carry out death penalties in the Gaza Strip without the need of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' approval, a spokesman said on Monday.

According to the Palestinian law, the Palestinian president has to ratify the death sentences before being carried out. Currently, Hamas is locked in a power struggle with Abbas and most of the convicted were members of Abbas' Fatah party, Hamas' bitter rival.

"There is a committee studying how to implement the execution penalties against a number of people in Gaza," said Taher al-Noono, spokesman of the deposed Hamas government which controls the coastal Strip.

"The committee comprises legal experts from the government and officials from the Ministry of Justice and may raise its recommendation soon," al-Noono added.

"A number of death verdicts have accumulated against some collaborators with the Zionist occupation in addition to others who committed killings in the past," al-Noono said. "If the committee approved the executions, we would implement its decision," he added.

Hamas reinstalled the judicial system in Gaza after it routed pro-Abbas forces and took over the Gaza Strip in June 2007. Abbas moved his power to the West Bank.

On Sunday, a Hamas military court issued death sentences against three members of Abbas' presidential guards, accused them of killing two Hamas journalists in Gaza in May 2007.