GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The supreme court in Gaza on Monday rejected an appeal against the death sentence of a man convicted of killing a family member.

The defendant was sentenced to death on Dec. 12, 2010 after he was found guilty of killing his female cousin.

Judges unanimously rejected his appeal against the sentence, a court report said.

The court's decision is final and the sentence cannot be appealed again, the statement added.

On May 13, the court ruled against the appeal of another murder convict sentenced to death, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights said.

The number of death sentences issued by the Palestinian Authority has risen to 126 since 1994, of which 25 have been issued in the West Bank and 101 in Gaza, the rights group says.

While a de-facto moratorium on executions was put in place by the Fatah-led administration in the West Bank, the Hamas-led government does not recognize provisions that require President Mahmoud Abbas to ratify death sentences.

Rights organizations have called for an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty as a form of punishment as it constitutes a violation of international human rights laws and standards.