On 11 May 2026, the Israeli Knesset passed, with overwhelming support (93 in favor, 0 against), the Prosecution of Participants in the October 7 Massacre Events Bill, legislation that establishes a special military tribunal to prosecute Palestinians held in Israeli custody in connection with the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023 and the holding of hostages in Gaza. The law denies suspects basic procedural protections essential to a fair trial and empowers the tribunal to impose the death penalty, a sentence that has not been carried out in Israel since 1962. The legislation renders any death sentence imposed an arbitrary deprivation of life, which is absolutely prohibited under international law and may amount to a war crime. Together with the 2026 Death Penalty Law, it places Israel in direct opposition to the international trend toward abolition and in breach of its binding obligations under international law.
The proceedings of the military tribunal, as stipulated in the law, are fundamentally incompatible with the right to life, the presumption of innocence, judicial independence, and the rule of law.
