In a historic 93-0 vote, the Knesset on Monday evening passed, in its second and third readings, a law establishing a legal framework for prosecuting the terrorists responsible for the October 7 massacre.

The law, proposed by MKs Simcha Rothman and Yulia Malinovsky, established the legal basis for unprecedented trials of Hamas terrorists and their accomplices for the gravest crimes committed during the deadly assault.

Under the law, the maximum possible sentence is death. However, it should be noted that his law differs from a separate death penalty proposal for terrorists promoted by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

One of the law’s central provisions authorizes courts to impose the death penalty not only for the murder of 1,164 civilians and soldiers on October 7, but also for other grave offenses, including rape, under existing legislation such as the Genocide Prevention Law and the Counterterrorism Law.

The bill stipulates that terrorists convicted under this law will never be released from prison, including as part of future hostage-release deals.

A special military tribunal will be established in Jerusalem, where indictments are expected to be filed against over 400 suspects. The trials will be divided according to geographic locations, such as the massacres in Be’eri, Nir Oz, and the Nova music festival.

Each judicial panel will consist of three judges, including at least one military court president or a district court judge serving in reserve duty. Defendants convicted under the law will automatically be entitled to appeal, with the appellate panel headed by a retired Supreme Court justice.

The trials are expected to be the largest and most significant in Israel since the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in 1961.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)