Israel approves law on public trials, death penalty for Palestinians involved in Oct 7 attacks

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]Israel's parliament has passed legislation to impose the death penalty in public trials of Palestinians accused of involvement in the October 7th, 2023 attacks. Rights groups have warned the bill could transform proceedings into show trials based on forced confessions while making it easier to impose the death penalty. They say Palestinians suffer from physical and sexual abuse in Israeli jails. More than 9,600 Palestinian prisoners, including women and children, are currently held in Israeli prisons.

[00:00:34]We're live in Gaza City, but first, let's talk to Nida Ibrahim. She joins us from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

[00:00:41]So, how does this bill further weaken Palestinians' ability to mount a defense, Nida?

[00:00:51]Well, Sami, when we talk about the Israeli courts in general, we talk about the system that is designed to give priority to Israeli courts, to Israeli military orders, to Israelis to do whatever they want, really, when it comes to Palestinians.

[00:01:09]So, issuing a tribunal focusing only on those that Israel considers to be involved in the October 7th attacks is not something that is linked that is disconnected with the larger picture of what Palestinian prisoners are going through. This is just something that is dealing with these people that Israel considers fighters as unlawful combatants and trying to show that they are trying to give them a special tribunal.

[00:01:43]But, in general, I'm standing here in front of one of the Israeli military courts. This is Ofer Military Court and Prison. And here, dozens of Palestinians have lost their lives inside the jail.

[00:01:56]Not just because of torture, but also because of medical negligence including one famous doctor, Adnan al-Bursh, from the Gaza Strip. So, again, Israel does not need a new law or a new tribunal or a new court to wreak havoc on Palestinians. It doesn't even need a death penalty law because with these extrajudicial killings, with the Israeli bombings, with the Israeli campaigns against Palestinians, it really does not need anything to do when it comes to legislations. But, what this bill is is yet another attempt by Israeli politicians to lobby for better seats in the upcoming elections. Also, let's not forget that the Israeli Knesset itself has passed another controversial law, another very devastating law that introduced the death penalty to Palestinians from the occupied West Bank. All of that is part of a system, part of the Israeli apartheid, and part of the Israeli attempts to give it some sort of a legal output or a legal way as if to make it legitimate. Nida Ibrahim there in Ramallah, the occupied West Bank.