A bill sponsored by Members of Knesset Simcha Rothman (The Religious Zionist Party) and Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beiteinu) to establish a special criminal tribunal for those involved in the October 7 atrocities was approved today (Sunday) by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation. The legislation aims to provide a legal framework for addressing the acts of terrorism committed during the Hamas attack and to ensure justice for the victims.
More than a Year and a Half Later
Over a year and a half after Hamas’s brutal assault on Israel, the Knesset is seeking ways to enable an appropriate legal response to the horrific events. The bill approved by the committee proposes the creation of a unique criminal court dedicated to prosecuting individuals for acts of genocide carried out during the October 7 massacre.
“We Must Change the Structure from the Ground Up”
The proposed judicial body would be composed of judges and ministerial representatives, including the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Defense, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Its focus would be on addressing the extraordinary crimes carried out by Hamas terrorists, particularly the elite Nukhba units. The explanatory notes to the bill state that “the regular legal system is not equipped to handle crimes of this scale and severity.”
MK Simcha Rothman emphasized that the existing legal tools “are simply not suitable.” He described the attack as an exceptional event—“genocide”—that cannot be “forced into the regular criminal framework.” Rothman added that, so far, “not a single indictment has been filed,” and therefore, “the structure must be changed from the ground up.”
“The First Step Has Already Been Taken”
MK Yulia Malinovsky said, “This bill comes from a moral obligation. The Ministerial Committee for Legislation has given its support. On Wednesday, we will bring it to a preliminary vote.” She added, “The road ahead is long, but the first step has already been taken.”
Earlier, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara announced that she does not support the bill. According to her, the proposed law could harm Israel’s international standing. She added that prosecuting terrorists remains a top priority for law enforcement.
