JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s parliament unanimously passed legislation Monday establishing a specialized court system with power to impose death sentences on Palestinians found guilty of participating in the October 7, 2023 Hamas assault that sparked the ongoing Gaza conflict.
The Knesset voted 93-0 in favor of the measure, with 27 members either absent or choosing not to vote. The overwhelming support demonstrates broad consensus for holding accountable those responsible for what became Israel’s most devastating attack in its history.
Civil rights organizations have condemned the legislation, arguing it creates an easier pathway to capital punishment while eliminating important protections for fair legal proceedings. Under the new system, defendants may appeal their verdicts, but these appeals must go through a separate specialized appeals court instead of standard appellate channels.
The law allows a panel of judges to impose death sentences through majority decision and mandates that proceedings be broadcast live from a Jerusalem courthouse, drawing parallels to Adolf Eichmann’s 1962 war crimes trial, which was also televised.
Eichmann’s execution by hanging marked Israel’s last use of capital punishment, though the death penalty technically remains legal for genocide, wartime espionage, and specific terrorism charges.
Critics worry that broadcasting trials before establishing guilt could transform serious legal proceedings into public spectacles. They also question whether evidence presented might have been obtained through coercive interrogation techniques.
The conflict erupted when Hamas-led fighters invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 people taken hostage. Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has resulted in more than 72,628 Palestinian fatalities, including at least 846 deaths since the ceasefire began last October.
These casualty figures come from Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians but reports roughly half the victims were women and children. United Nations agencies and independent analysts generally consider the ministry’s data reliable, despite its connection to Hamas-controlled governance.
Israeli military operations also eliminated hundreds of militants during fighting in the coastal territory and captured numerous suspects now held in Israeli facilities awaiting trial.
Coalition member Simcha Rothman, who co-sponsored the bill, described the unanimous support as evidence that Israeli legislators can unite “around a common mission.”
Multiple Israeli human rights organizations, including Hamoked, Adalah, and the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, acknowledged Monday that “justice for the victims of October 7 is a legitimate and urgent imperative,” but emphasized that accountability “must be pursued through a process which includes rather than abandons the principles of justice.”
This legislation differs from a March law that authorized death penalties for Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis, which drew international condemnation as discriminatory and inhumane.
The earlier law only applies to future cases and cannot be used retroactively against October 2023 suspects.
The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel reports that approximately 1,300 Palestinians from Gaza remain in Israeli detention without formal charges. Since October 2023, at least 7,000 Gaza Palestinians have been held in Israeli custody, with 5,000 subsequently released.
The 1,300 figure excludes those detained on suspicion of participating in the October 7 attack or involvement with hostage-taking.
