The Israeli occupation parliament has approved a controversial new bill establishing a special tribunal authorized to impose the death penalty on Palestinians accused of involvement in the October 7 resistance operation.

The legislation passed late Monday in the Knesset by a vote of 93-0, with dozens of lawmakers absent or abstaining.

The bill comes as Israel faces mounting international condemnation over its ongoing genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands of Palestinians — the majority of them women and children — have been killed since October 2023.

Palestinian legal organization Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel warned that the legislation effectively dismantles the right to a fair trial and creates a legal framework designed to secure mass convictions of Palestinians.

Muna Haddad said the law gives Israeli courts sweeping powers to admit evidence extracted under coercive interrogation conditions that could amount to torture and abuse.

“The bill explicitly permits mass trials that deviate from standard rules of evidence,” Haddad stated, warning that the legislation violates fundamental principles of international law and due process.

She added that the law transforms the judicial process into a political spectacle by mandating the filming and public broadcasting of major parts of the trials — a move critics say is intended to humiliate Palestinian detainees and inflame public opinion.

“The framework effectively treats indictment as a finding of guilt before any judicial examination has begun,” Haddad said.

Israel is currently holding an estimated 200 to 300 Palestinians captured during and after the October 7 operation, many of whom have reportedly not been formally charged.

The October 7 operation carried out by Hamas and other Palestinian resistance factions targeted Israeli military sites and settlements surrounding Gaza following decades of occupation, siege, and repeated Israeli assaults on Palestinians.

Israel responded by launching a devastating military campaign on Gaza that human rights experts, UN officials, and international legal scholars have increasingly described as genocidal.

According to Palestinian health authorities, at least 72,628 Palestinians have been killed in the assault, with entire neighborhoods flattened, hospitals destroyed, and critical infrastructure systematically targeted.

The new tribunal law comes as Israel faces growing international legal isolation over its actions in Gaza.

Several Israeli rights organizations, including Hamoked and the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, warned that accountability cannot come through abandoning the principles of justice and fair trials.

Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Gaza war.

Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice following accusations that its military campaign in Gaza constitutes collective punishment and systematic destruction of Palestinian civilian life.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem condemned the legislation, describing it as an attempt to divert international attention away from Israel’s actions in Gaza.

“The law serves as a cover for the war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza,” Qassem said.

Palestinian observers say the new legislation reflects an escalation in Israel’s efforts to criminalize Palestinian resistance while continuing military operations that have devastated Gaza and displaced millions under blockade and bombardment.

Human rights advocates warn that the law could pave the way for unprecedented political executions of Palestinians under a judicial system increasingly criticized for discrimination, mass detention practices, and the denial of fundamental legal rights to Palestinians living under occupation. (ILKHA)