12 May 2026

Press Release

Al-Dameer: The Law on the Trial of October 7 Detainees Constitutes Legalized Killing Under the Guise of Justice Through Trials Lacking Fairness

Al-Dameer Association for Human Rights states that the enactment of the law concerning the trial of October 7 detainees reflects a clear Israeli occupation policy aimed at using the judiciary as a political instrument to justify the killing of prisoners and detainees. The Israeli occupation authorities have consistently targeted Palestinian detainees and prisoners through various forms of repression and slow killing.

The Israeli occupation authorities continue to adopt punitive legislation against Palestinian prisoners and detainees by enacting and approving laws of a retaliatory nature that target their fundamental rights guaranteed under international law. In recent years, the occupation authorities have intensified policies and legislation aimed at expanding punitive measures. Most recently, the Israeli Knesset approved, in the second and third readings, the so-called “Law on the Trial of October 7 Perpetrators,” and has once again advanced a new bill under a different title providing for the imposition of the death penalty against certain prisoners and detainees, while insisting on its retroactive application. This constitutes a blatant violation of all legislative principles and criminal law standards.

The proposed law further relies on confessions and evidence obtained under severe and potentially lethal torture. It also lacks the guarantees of a fair trial, as proceedings are to be conducted via video conference without the detainees physically appearing before the court, while they remain held inside prisons and detention facilities.

Moreover, the law grants extensive powers to security and political bodies that exceed those accorded to judicial authorities, constituting a serious infringement on fair trial guarantees and effectively transforming the judiciary into a political tool for carrying out acts of killing.

Al-Dameer considers this law to be an extension of a dangerous legislative approach employed by the Israeli occupation authorities to justify grave violations against Palestinian prisoners and detainees, amid the continuing crimes committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Al-Dameer further warns against the growing calls for the application of the death penalty against Palestinian detainees, given that such punishment constitutes a grave violation of the right to life and may lead to the use of the judiciary as a means of political retaliation, far removed from standards of justice and fairness—particularly in light of documented practices of torture, ill-treatment, and deprivation of legal safeguards within Israeli prisons and detention centers.

Accordingly, the organization calls upon the international community, including the United Nations, relevant international human rights mechanisms, and the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions, to take immediate action to pressure the Israeli occupation authorities to halt the implementation of legislation that violates international law, hold accountable those responsible for grave violations against Palestinian prisoners and detainees, and ensure respect for international justice standards, the protection of the right to life, and the right to a fair trial.

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