The bill passed the 120-seat Knesset by a vote of 93-0, with remaining lawmakers absent or abstaining, reflecting broad political backing for prosecuting suspects linked to the deadliest attack in Israel’s history.

The legislation creates a separate judicial framework to try individuals accused of involvement in the assault led by Hamas militants, who killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages during the cross-border attack in October 2023.

Under the new law, judges will be allowed to impose capital punishment through a majority decision rather than requiring unanimity. Appeals against verdicts or sentences will be heard by a dedicated appeals court rather than Israel’s regular judicial system.

The trials are also expected to be livestreamed from a courtroom in Jerusalem, prompting comparisons by critics to the televised 1962 trial of Nazi official Adolf Eichmann, whose execution remains the only civilian use of the death penalty in Israel’s history.

Israeli and international rights organizations criticized the measure, arguing that it weakens fair trial protections and risks politicizing judicial proceedings.
Groups including Adalah, Hamoked and the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel said accountability for the Oct. 7 attack should not come at the expense of established legal standards.

Critics also raised concerns over the admissibility and reliability of evidence potentially obtained through coercive interrogation methods, as well as the impact of broadcasting proceedings before convictions are secured.

The legislation is separate from another law passed earlier this year authorizing the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis. That measure applies only to future cases and does not cover suspects detained over the 2023 attack.

According to Israeli rights organizations, about 1,300 Palestinians from Gaza Strip remain in Israeli detention without formal charges, while thousands more have been detained and later released since the start of the war.

Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, launched in response to the Oct. 7 assault, has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, though United Nations agencies and international observers have generally considered its casualty reporting credible.

Simcha Rothman, a sponsor of the bill and member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition, said the legislation demonstrated national unity around securing accountability for the attacks.

Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian national Thiago Avila appeared before a court in Ashkelon for a second hearing, after being brought to Israel last week following the interception of their vessel by Israeli forces off the coast of Greece.“The court approved their detention until Sunday morning,” said Miriam Azem of Adalah, which is providing legal representation.

An AFP journalist witnessed the activists being escorted into the courtroom with their legs shackled.The two were among dozens of individuals aboard a flotilla that had set sail from France, Spain and Italy with the stated aim of delivering humanitarian supplies to Gaza and challenging Israel’s long-standing blockade.

Adalah said the activists have been on a hunger strike for six days and alleged that both were subjected to physical and psychological abuse in detention. The group said they were being held in isolation under constant high-intensity lighting, with Avila allegedly exposed to extremely cold temperatures.“They are kept blindfolded at all times whenever they are moved outside their cells, including during medical examinations,” the group said.

Israeli authorities have rejected the allegations.During an earlier hearing, prosecutors presented a list of charges including assisting the enemy during wartime and membership in, and providing services to, a terrorist organization, according to Adalah.

Defense lawyers challenged Israel’s jurisdiction, arguing the activists had been unlawfully detained in international waters.Israel’s foreign ministry said both individuals were affiliated with the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, which it alleged has links to Hamas. It described Abu Keshek as a leading member and said Avila was also suspected of involvement in illegal activity.

The flotilla was part of the Global Sumud initiative, whose previous attempt last year was similarly intercepted. Israeli forces stopped the latest convoy early on Thursday off Greece’s coast.Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza since 2007 and controls access points into the territory.

Aid flows have been severely disrupted during the ongoing war that began in October 2023, contributing to shortages of essential supplies.

Abukeshek was detained alongside Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila after the Israeli navy stopped the humanitarian vessel, while dozens of other activists were intercepted by the Greek coast guard and taken to the island of Crete, according to officials and legal representatives.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares described the detention as unlawful and said he had raised the matter directly with his Israeli counterpart.“This is a case of illegal detention in international waters, outside the jurisdiction of Israeli authorities,” Albares said in an interview with Spain’s public radio.

“I have made this clear to my Israeli counterpart.”The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, known as Adalah, said it visited both men at a detention facility in the Israeli port city of Ashkelon and reported that they had begun a hunger strike.

The group said the two activists alleged they had been repeatedly beaten while in custody and were subjected to isolation, prolonged blindfolding and physical assault.“Adalah maintains that the treatment of the two activists, including the use of isolation, prolonged blindfolding and physical beatings, constitutes a grave violation of international law,” the organization said in a statement.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in an online post that Abukeshek and Ávila were being questioned over possible links to the Palestinian militant group Hamas and confirmed that both had been granted consular access.

The detention has added fresh strain to already tense relations between Israel and Spain, one of Europe’s most vocal critics of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.Spain formally recognized Palestinian statehood in 2024, a move that triggered strong objections from Israel and widened diplomatic friction between the two governments.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez intensified criticism on Friday during a campaign event ahead of regional elections in southern Spain, directly addressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the detention.“Now that Netanyahu has taken foreign citizens, including a Spanish national, and brought them to Israel, I have a few things to say to Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Sánchez told supporters of his Socialist Party.

“First, Spain will always protect its citizens. Second, we will always uphold international law — and this is yet another violation of it,” he said. “And third, we demand the release of the Spanish citizen who has been illegally detained by the Netanyahu government.”

The case has drawn wider attention across Europe as international activists continue attempts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza amid the prolonged conflict and worsening humanitarian conditions in the enclave.