Three years after the October 7 massacre, Knesset lawmakers on Wednesday demanded that Israel move ahead with the prosecution of Hamas Nukhba terrorists, as officials revealed that the first indictments under Israel’s newly created legal framework are expected during the first half of 2027, with trials projected to begin later that year.

The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee convened on the third anniversary of the massacre to review implementation of the landmark law enacted in May establishing a special system for prosecuting those who participated in the Hamas-led atrocities.

Committee chairman MK Simcha Rothman opened the session with a minute of silence in memory of those murdered and those who fell defending Israel, followed by the recitation of Tehillim 79.

Rothman said the timing of Wednesday’s hearing was deliberate. Although the law requires officials to report to the committee on preparations for the trials, he said the third anniversary of the massacre carried particular significance.

“On this day, October 7, three years after the event, this is an important point in time to understand where the State of Israel stands in light of the verse we just read – ‘Avenge the spilled blood of Your servants,’” he said.

The law creating the special prosecution system was approved by the Knesset in May in an extraordinary display of coalition-opposition unity. It passed its final readings by a 93-0 vote, after lawmakers from across the political spectrum joined behind legislation sponsored by Rothman and Yisrael Beytenu MK Yulia Malinovsky.

The legislation establishes a military court seated in Yerushalayim to hear cases involving participants in the October 7 massacre. The court can adjudicate charges under Israel’s Prevention of Genocide Law, Penal Law and Counter-Terrorism Law, among other statutes.

The framework was designed to address the unprecedented legal challenges created by the massacre, including the enormous number of crimes and victims, the volume and nature of the evidence, and cases in which prosecutors may be able to prove that a terrorist participated in the assault without being able to establish which specific victim he personally murdered or attacked.

The law also establishes special procedures for selecting judges, including sitting and retired judges, and provides for extensive video and audio documentation of the proceedings, with portions of the trials potentially broadcast to the public. The goal is not only to prosecute those responsible, but also to create an authoritative historical record of the October 7 atrocities.

Rothman told the committee that bringing the perpetrators to justice is part of Israel’s obligation to those murdered in the massacre and to their families.

“The very important mission demanded by the blood of our murdered brothers and sisters is for the State to make sure that it does not allow this to pass,” he said.

He stressed that the issue has transcended Israel’s bitter political divisions, with coalition and opposition lawmakers jointly pushing the legislation and now demanding that government agencies implement it.

“We are all working on this as one, coalition and opposition. The Knesset is united in the need, in the oversight and examination, and three years later, also in the urgency that this happen and be carried out.”

Rothman said separately Wednesday that preparations have advanced rapidly since the law was enacted five months ago. He said current estimates call for the first indictment to be filed during the first half of 2027, with the first trial beginning approximately six months later.

The committee chairman said Israel could begin seeing verdicts and sentences during 2028 — considerably sooner than would have been possible had prosecutors attempted to handle the unprecedented cases through the ordinary criminal justice system.

Preparations include establishing the physical court complex in the Atarot area of Yerushalayim, allocating funding, recruiting personnel and creating a dedicated prosecutorial apparatus capable of handling cases unlike anything previously confronted by Israel’s judicial system.

Rothman said the official who will head the prosecution apparatus is expected to be appointed shortly, after which decisions can begin to be made about which defendants will face the first indictments and how the cases will be structured.

MK Moshe Saada told Wednesday’s hearing that the trials must accomplish more than imposing punishment. He argued that the proceedings should also establish before the world a factual and legal record of what Hamas and its accomplices perpetrated on October 7.

“The blood of our brothers cries out from the ground, the images cry out, and what lies before us is the need to do justice and, through the legal process, also tell the world,” Saada said.

With competing narratives about October 7 increasingly circulating internationally, Saada said Israel has a responsibility to use the proceedings to document the atrocities and present the evidence publicly.

“Today we see other narratives around the world, and the time has come to hold up a mirror and tell the clear truth. There is a moral obligation to do this, and we all need to join hands together to ensure that justice is done.”

Malinovsky, who worked with Rothman for more than two years to develop and advance the legislation despite sitting on the opposite side of the political aisle, demanded tangible progress from the officials responsible for carrying it out.

“If there are problems, we will solve them, and if necessary, we will bang on the table, but we want results. The people of Israel deserve answers.”

She said the Knesset had completed its responsibility by constructing and approving the necessary legal framework and that disagreements among government agencies could not now be allowed to stall implementation.

“We did what we needed to do, we passed the law, and now every official must put personal whims and disagreements aside and rise to the occasion.”

The legislation covers Hamas terrorists and accomplices accused of participating in murder, kidnapping, rape, looting and other crimes committed between October 7 and October 10, 2023, as well as offenses subsequently committed against Israeli hostages in Gaza.

More than 400 suspects could ultimately face prosecution under the framework, making the proceedings among the largest and most consequential criminal trials ever conducted in Israel. Defendants prosecuted or convicted under the law are also barred from being released in future prisoner exchanges or diplomatic agreements.

The law allows the special military court to impose the most severe punishments available under Israeli law for qualifying crimes. Lawmakers who drafted the legislation have said the trials must balance the need for extraordinary measures with the requirement that proceedings remain orderly, professional and capable of withstanding legal scrutiny.

Malinovsky vowed that Knesset oversight would not end with the current political cycle, saying the responsibility to the victims and their families must remain above partisan considerations regardless of who controls the next Knesset.

“Regardless of the election results and the person who will sit in this chair, we will not let up. We owe this to the families.”

{Matzav.com}