Israel passes law to establish special tribunal for suspects of October 7 Hamas attack

Tel Aviv, May 12 Israel's parliament has approved a law to establish a special military tribunal for Palestinians suspected of involvement in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.

The tribunal is authorised to impose the death penalty, a sentence that has not been carried out in Israel since 1962.

The law has drawn widespread criticism from rights groups. "The bill denies suspects the basic procedural protections essential to a fair trial," Adalah, a legal group for Arab minority rights in Israel, said in a statement on Monday (local time).

It added that any resulting death sentence would constitute "an arbitrary deprivation of life, absolutely prohibited under international law and potentially a war crime."

The new law follows legislation approved in late March that made the death penalty a default punishment for Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks, reports Xinhua news agency.

The legislation, passed on March 30, drew sharp international criticism, with opponents describing it as discriminatory and unconstitutional. Critics argue that the law creates a differential legal framework based on identity and raises serious human rights concerns.

Under the new law, the death penalty would apply to Israelis convicted of murder only if the act was committed with the intent of "ending Israel's existence", a clause that critics say effectively ensures that the punishment will disproportionately target Palestinians while excluding Jewish Israelis accused of similar offences.

The law also mandates that executions be carried out within 90 days of sentencing, allowing only limited grounds for delay and providing no provision for clemency.

Courts retain the option to impose life imprisonment instead, but only under undefined "special circumstances".

The October 7 attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel, with over 250 hostages kidnapped, according to Israeli figures. It triggered the massive Israeli military operation across Gaza that left the Palestinian enclave in ruins and killed at least 72,737 people, according to Gaza-based health authorities.

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