Knesset Approves First Reading for Establishment of Special Military Court to Prosecute Elite Hamas Fighters

SadaNews - The Knesset has approved in the first reading a bill to establish a special military court to examine the cases of Palestinian fighters from the Gaza Strip involved in the surprise attack on the "Gaza Envelope" settlements on October 7, 2023.

The bill was initiated by Knesset members Simcha Rothman from the "Religious Zionism" party and Yulia Malinovsky from the "Israel Beiteinu" party, with 19 members voting in favor in the first reading, without any opposition recorded.

The law states that under certain conditions, the new court can prosecute elite Hamas fighters, bypassing usual evidentiary and criminal procedural rules if deemed necessary, provided that it does not compromise the integrity of the proceedings, as reported by the "Haaretz" newspaper.

The bill also stipulates that court sessions may be broadcast via a dedicated website, unless it is decided to hold them behind closed doors, with all its documents preserved in the state archive.

Moreover, the law requires that no person suspected of involvement in the events of October 7 and the surprise attack, or charged with it, or convicted thereof, shall be released as part of any prisoner negotiations.

The ministerial committee for legislative affairs approved the bill, which is scheduled to be presented in May, and it was ratified in a preliminary reading, despite initial opposition from the Ministry of Justice, which later withdrew its objection.

During a discussion in the Constitution Committee in October 2025, Member of Knesset Yulia Malinovsky criticized the ministry for delaying the government bill, saying: "You have been stalling this matter for two years, and now you are facing difficulties?".

Israeli police officers and personnel in forensic laboratories are facing difficulties in extracting evidence from tools collected in southern Israel after the Hamas fighters' attack, which may complicate judicial proceedings and the prosecution of elite fighters in the movement.

The "Lahav 433" unit is conducting investigations related to the events of October 7, with all sections of the unit having stopped following any other files to focus on this case.