The Israeli parliament (Knesset) has paved the way for the mass trial of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in connection with Operation Al-Aqsa Storm by approving one of the most controversial laws in decades.
Publish dateTuesday 12 May 2026 - 11:22
Story Code : 354393
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): This law allows special courts to issue death sentences, and there are serious concerns about the judicial system becoming a tool for political revenge.
The Israeli Knesset has passed one of the most controversial laws in decades, titled the “Elite Forces Trial Law,” in its final two readings. The law essentially provides broad powers for the mass trial of more than four hundred Palestinian prisoners accused of participating in Operation Al-Aqsa Storm on October 7, 2023. According to reports, the law paves the way for the formal execution of death sentences and creates a new legal path that many see as a mechanism for political revenge. The law was passed with unprecedented support from ninety-three members of the ruling party and even the opposition, and Israeli media described it as “the most important trial since the trial of Adolf Eichmann.”
The new law mandates the establishment of a special military court in Jerusalem to try prisoners accused of involvement in the October 7th operation. The court can issue death sentences for what are called “other serious crimes,” in addition to murder cases. A significant development in the law is the ban on any release of these individuals in the form of a prisoner exchange; that is, those sentenced to death or facing charges that could lead to execution will not be released, even in political agreements.
Each case will have three judges, at least one of whom must be a senior military judge or a civilian judge from the reserve forces. All rulings will also have an automatic appeals process, chaired by a retired Supreme Court justice.
The southern Israeli prosecutor's office has announced that it has begun preparing indictments and has a large volume of documents, videos, interrogations, criminal evidence and materials collected by the army and Shin Bet from inside Gaza.
The trials will be broadcast live, similar to the Eichmann trial. In most sessions, prisoners will not be transferred to the courtroom and will be present electronically from prison. Families of the slain Zionists will also be able to follow the trials from special rooms or via digital broadcast.
The law has raised widespread concerns about turning the judicial system into a tool for political revenge, especially since it uses ideological terms such as "crimes against the Jewish people," which legal experts say take the cases outside the usual criminal framework. Legal experts predict that the trials will last for years. Analysts also say the law is much more practical and dangerous than the previous proposal by Internal Security Minister Itamar Ben-Giver, which had a vague definition of "murder with the intent to deny the existence of Israel."
The Israeli Knesset has passed one of the most controversial laws in decades, titled the “Elite Forces Trial Law,” in its final two readings. The law essentially provides broad powers for the mass trial of more than four hundred Palestinian prisoners accused of participating in Operation Al-Aqsa Storm on October 7, 2023. According to reports, the law paves the way for the formal execution of death sentences and creates a new legal path that many see as a mechanism for political revenge. The law was passed with unprecedented support from ninety-three members of the ruling party and even the opposition, and Israeli media described it as “the most important trial since the trial of Adolf Eichmann.”
The new law mandates the establishment of a special military court in Jerusalem to try prisoners accused of involvement in the October 7th operation. The court can issue death sentences for what are called “other serious crimes,” in addition to murder cases. A significant development in the law is the ban on any release of these individuals in the form of a prisoner exchange; that is, those sentenced to death or facing charges that could lead to execution will not be released, even in political agreements.
Each case will have three judges, at least one of whom must be a senior military judge or a civilian judge from the reserve forces. All rulings will also have an automatic appeals process, chaired by a retired Supreme Court justice.
The southern Israeli prosecutor's office has announced that it has begun preparing indictments and has a large volume of documents, videos, interrogations, criminal evidence and materials collected by the army and Shin Bet from inside Gaza.
The trials will be broadcast live, similar to the Eichmann trial. In most sessions, prisoners will not be transferred to the courtroom and will be present electronically from prison. Families of the slain Zionists will also be able to follow the trials from special rooms or via digital broadcast.
The law has raised widespread concerns about turning the judicial system into a tool for political revenge, especially since it uses ideological terms such as "crimes against the Jewish people," which legal experts say take the cases outside the usual criminal framework. Legal experts predict that the trials will last for years. Analysts also say the law is much more practical and dangerous than the previous proposal by Internal Security Minister Itamar Ben-Giver, which had a vague definition of "murder with the intent to deny the existence of Israel."
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