From the Liveblog of
Monday, May 11, 2026
Knesset approves forming military tribunal to try Oct. 7 perpetrators, ‘deliver justice’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
The Knesset votes to pass a law to establish a special military tribunal to try Palestinian terrorists accused of committing atrocities during the October 7, 2023, invasion, with 93 votes in favor and none opposed.
The uniquely bipartisan legislation would see the establishment of a special court within the military justice system to try the roughly 300 attackers captured by security forces inside Israel during the invasion and held in detention since.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin calls the passage of the legislation “one of the most important moments of the current Knesset. One can feel that we are doing the right thing by finding a way to unite at this moment, even though we are on the eve of elections and despite all the disagreements that exist.”
“This is a historic framework intended to deliver justice and bring to trial the terrorists who carried out the worst massacre in the state’s history,” says Religious Zionism MK Rothman of the coalition, who co-sponsored the legislation.
The second sponsor of the bill, opposition MK Yulia Malinovsky of the secular right-wing Yisrael Beytenu party, proclaims that “these will be the trials of the modern-day Nazis, and they will go down in the history books.
“I dedicate this law to all the murdered victims, the hostages, and their families. In the end, our spirit and our ability to cope with and stand in the face of immense pain — that is what makes us great,” she adds.
Under the legislation, the tribunal will be able to charge the assailants with all relevant crimes, including genocide under the terms of Israel’s 1950 Law for the Prevention of Genocide, harming Israeli sovereignty, causing war, assisting an enemy during a time of war, and terror charges under Israel’s 2016 law for combating terrorism.
Those convicted of genocide charges would be liable for the death penalty.
The legislation also stipulates that anyone who is suspected, charged, or convicted of October 7 crimes cannot be freed through prisoner release agreements.
The Times of Israel Community.