Israel authorizes death penalty for participants of the October 7 Hamas attack
Kyiv • UNN
The Knesset has approved a special tribunal for participants of the October 7 attack with the right to impose the death penalty. Court proceedings will be broadcast live from Jerusalem.
The Israeli parliament has approved a bill to establish a special tribunal to hear cases of participants in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack and has authorized the use of the death penalty. This was reported by AP, according to UNN.
Details
93 out of 120 Knesset members voted in favor of the document. The new tribunal will have the power to sentence Palestinians found guilty of involvement in the attack—the deadliest in Israel's history, which led to the war in Gaza—to death.
The law also provides for a separate appeals system. Appeals against sentences will be considered by a special court of appeals rather than ordinary judicial instances. Furthermore, court sessions are to be held in Jerusalem with a live broadcast.
Human rights activists criticized the decision
Israeli human rights organizations stated that the new law simplifies the application of the death penalty and weakens the guarantees of a fair trial. Critics also fear that open broadcasts could turn the proceedings into a political show even before a verdict is reached.
The Knesset compares the upcoming proceedings to the 1962 trial of Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann. That was the last time Israel applied the death penalty—Eichmann was executed by hanging.
The war in Gaza began after the attack by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and another 251 were taken hostage. According to the Palestinian side, more than 72,000 people have been killed as a result of the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip.