The Israeli Knesset passed a law to establish a military court for elite Hamas members
The Israeli Knesset passed a law on Monday evening to establish a special military court for “Hamas Elite Elements” after it was approved in the second and third readings.
In mid-January, the Knesset approved in its first reading the bill, which was submitted by MKs Simcha Rotman of the Religious Zionist Party and Yulia Malinovsky of the Israel Beiteinu Party.
The official Israeli Broadcasting Authority said that the Knesset passed the law in its second and third readings, making it a final law.
The Knesset passed the law with a majority of 93 members, without any opponents or abstentions.
This law will form the legal basis for unprecedented trials, the largest and most important in Israel since the trial of (Adolf) Eichmann, when Israel succeeded in kidnapping the Nazi Eichmann in 1961, after he was captured in Argentina, and executed him in 1962.
Israel claims that the Palestinians it arrested during the October 7, 2023 attack were elite members of Hamas, and they haven’t been tried to this day.
On Sunday, Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin said the bill would grant full authority to issue death sentences, and if issued, they would be carried out.
Levin added: “We’re talking about hundreds of defendants, and the military will be responsible for leading the legal proceedings”.
Most of the defendants will participate in hearings via video link from inside the prison, and they will also attend some sessions in person.
More than 9,600 Palestinian prisoners, including children and women, are held in Israeli prisons, where they suffer torture, starvation, and medical neglect, leading to the deaths of dozens of them, according to Israeli and Palestinian human rights reports.
