Israel proposes bill to execute Palestinian Prisoners

The Palestinian movement, Hamas on Monday condemned the Israeli Knesset’s preliminary approval of a bill allowing the execution of Palestinian prisoners, calling it a serious war crime and an escalation of what it described as Israel’s long-standing policy of extrajudicial killings.

Israeli media reported Tuesday that the controversial bill in the Knesset would allow the execution of Palestinian prisoners by hanging, contradicting earlier parliamentary statements that described lethal injection as the intended method.

The legislation comes within the context of escalating Zionist fascism and official terrorism against prisoners and represents an attempt to legitimize execution through official legislation to conceal ongoing abuses such as torture and medical neglect inside Israeli prisons.

The bill constitutes a dangerous precedent and a direct threat to the lives of thousands of prisoners, urging the United Nations and international human rights organizations to take urgent action to block the measure and investigate conditions in Israeli detention centers.

The bill was introduced by far-right lawmaker Limor Son Har-Melech of the Otzma Yehudit party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and has now reached its second and third readings, fueling sharp debate across Israel’s political landscape.

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The criminal legislation grants the Israel Prison Service commissioner the authority to appoint the officer tasked with carrying out executions. The process would be overseen by the prison warden, a judicial representative, and a member of the prisoner’s family.

The draft law further allows executions to proceed even in the absence of some of those individuals, citing the need to avoid delays. Under the proposal, prison officials and state authorities involved in enforcing death sentences would be granted full civil and criminal immunity.

Details of executions would be published on the Israel Prison Service’s website, while the identities of those carrying out the sentence would remain confidential.

The bill also prohibits any commutation, appeal, or cancellation once a death sentence is issued. Prisoners sentenced to death would be held in complete isolation, with visits restricted exclusively to authorized personnel.

In addition, the legislation permits death sentences to be imposed without a request from the attorney general.

Trials would be conducted before military judges holding the rank of lieutenant colonel or higher, and executions would be carried out within 90 days of a final ruling.

The reported method of execution by hanging stands in direct contrast to a statement published by the Knesset on the US social media platform X on 19th November last year, which said executions would be carried out via lethal injection.

Hamas also called for international commissions of inquiry to examine crimes of torture and rape, particularly referencing allegations at the Sde Teiman detention facility in southern Israel.

Earlier Monday, the Knesset’s National Security Committee approved the draft law imposing the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners, referring it to the Knesset plenum for a first reading — a move unprecedented in Israel’s legislative history regarding such measures.

Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed public support for the bill, with Channel 12 indicating that the first reading is expected to take place next Wednesday.

Ben-Gvir has repeatedly pushed for the execution of Palestinian prisoners and has overseen sweeping restrictions on their detention conditions, amid growing reports of abuse and the denial of basic rights.

Israel has sharply escalated its violations against Palestinian detainees, particularly those from Gaza, since the start of the war, including starvation, torture, sexual violence and systematic denial of medical care, rights groups said.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Tuesday that 100 doctors have volunteered to carry out executions of Palestinian prisoners if proposed legislation authorising the death penalty is approved.

The remarks were made during a heated session of the Knesset’s National Security Committee, which was debating a bill put forward by Ben-Gvir that would allow for the execution of any prisoner found guilty of participating in the killing of a Jew.

Israel has killed more than 71,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 170,000 others in military attacks in Gaza since October 2023.

Middle East Monitor / ABC Flash Point Blog News 2026.