The Knesset's National Security Committee approved on Monday the bill that enables the death penalty for terrorists convicted of murders motivated by national or religious hatred.
The initiative, promoted by Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's Jewish Power party, seeks to strengthen Israel's security policy in response to the intensification of attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian factions.
The bill will be submitted for its first reading in the Knesset plenary this week, marking a milestone in the debate on justice and national defense.
During the session, the committee's legal advisor, Ido Ben-Itzhak, raised technical objections, but the legislative majority supported continuing the parliamentary process given the urgency of establishing an effective deterrent mechanism against terrorism.
Netanyahu supports the measure and reinforces government unity
The Hostages and Missing Persons Coordinator, Brigadier General (res.) Gal Hirsch, confirmed to lawmakers that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fully supports the proposal.
According to Hirsch, previous objections lost their relevance after the release of Israeli hostages by Hamas. "It's a necessary tool to ensure the release of hostages and protect our citizens," he stated.
Israel avanza con la pena de muerte para terroristas con apoyo de Netanyahu
Ben Gvir, meanwhile, thanked the prime minister for his support and reiterated his firm stance: "Every terrorist who goes out to kill must know that he will face the death penalty. There must be no judicial discretion in these cases."
The bill stipulates that the penalty will be mandatory for terrorists convicted of murders with nationalist motivations, and the sentences can't be commuted.
Reaction from Hamas and the international community
The terrorist group Hamas reacted vehemently, calling the measure a "display of the fascist face of the Zionist occupation." In addition, it called for the intervention of international committees to review Israeli prisons, where more than 10,000 Palestinians accused of terrorism are currently detained.
However, in Israel, the majority of the population supports the bill, interpreting it as a firm and just response to the attacks that have claimed thousands of innocent lives since the start of Hamas's offensive in October 2023.
Ben Gvir, who has insisted for months on toughening penalties, recently released a video in which he demanded the execution of convicted terrorists, arguing that only in this way will "real and lasting deterrence" be achieved.
Israel avanza con la pena de muerte para terroristas con apoyo de Netanyahu
A state policy against extremism
Israel has historically been moderate in the use of the death penalty—the last execution was that of Adolf Eichmann in 1962—but the current context of war and terrorist attacks has reopened the debate.
Ben Gvir's bill, with Netanyahu's support, represents a paradigm shift in Israel's national defense, prioritizing citizen security in the face of organized terrorism.
If approved, the law will reinforce Israel's position as a sovereign nation determined to protect its people against attacks aimed at its destruction, reaffirming its commitment to the right to self-defense and justice.
