Gaza's highest court has upheld a death sentence for four men charged with a brutal rape and murder that shocked even residents of the violence-weary territory.

Wednesday's ruling by Justice Abdul Raouf Halaby comes in response to an appeal by four men convicted of the 2004 rape and murder of a 16-year-old schoolgirl.

It is rare for rape charges to become public in Gaza, where the largely tribal residents tend to prefer vigilante justice in such cases. At the time, thousands of Gaza residents demonstrated to demand the men be executed.

The convicts' last hope is Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who must approve the sentence even though his government in the West Bank has no real power in Hamas-controlled Gaza.

Abbas has not signed off on an execution since he came to power.