Bill Imposing Death Penalty to Palestinians Advances in Knesset as Israel Begins Steps to Cut Off Power, Water to UNRWA
ISRAEL – The Israeli Knesset has advanced a bill imposing a death penalty to Palestinians accused of engagement in Oct. 7, 2023 events.
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said the bill passed the first reading late Monday with the backing of 19 lawmakers, with no votes cast against it during the session.
The proposed legislation seeks to create a special judicial mechanism to prosecute hundreds of Palestinians accused of taking part in the Oct. 7 events, which Israeli officials have repeatedly described as the most serious security failure in the country’s history.
The bill was introduced through a joint initiative by Justice Minister Yariv Levin of the ruling Likud party, Constitution Committee Chairman Simcha Rothman of the far-right Religious Zionism party, and Yisrael Beiteinu lawmaker Yulia Malinovsky, according to the broadcaster.
Under the draft, a dedicated court would be established and chaired by a retired district court judge, with broad authority to hear cases involving charges such as genocide, harming state sovereignty, aiding the enemy during wartime, and terrorism-related offenses.
The legislation explicitly allows for capital punishment upon conviction and bars defendants tried under this framework from being included in any future political negotiations or prisoner exchange agreements.
It also mandates that court hearings be broadcast live on a designated website and preserved in Israel’s state archives.
The bill will now be referred to the Knesset’s Constitution Committee for further review ahead of its second and third readings. Under Israeli law, legislation must pass three readings to become binding.
Israeli authorities have not released official figures on the number of Palestinians detained in connection with the Oct. 7 events, though Israeli media estimates put the number in the thousands.
More than 71,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and over 171,000 others injured in the Gaza Strip since October 2023 in a brutal Israeli war that has left the enclave in ruins.
Israel Begins Steps to Cut Off Power and Water to UNRWA
Israeli authorities began practical steps on Tuesday to enforce a law ordering the cutoff of electricity and water to buildings operated by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in occupied East Jerusalem, Palestinian authorities said.
In a statement, the Jerusalem Governorate said Israeli authorities started sending formal notices ahead of implementation, denouncing the move as “a new escalation” targeting the UNRWA presence and institutions in the city.
The Israeli electricity company delivered notices to disconnect power to UNRWA buildings located inside the separation barrier, with implementation set to begin after 15 days, the statement said.
The action is based on a law approved by the Knesset on Dec. 31, 2025.
The Israeli water company Gihon also sent separate notices to halt water supplies to properties used by the UN agency in occupied East Jerusalem, the statement said.
A preliminary assessment showed the measures affect 10 UNRWA buildings, including schools, clinics, training centers and administrative offices. Among them is the agency’s main office in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, the governorate said.
It warned that enforcing the Israeli measures would have serious repercussions for educational, health and relief services provided to Palestinian refugees in East Jerusalem.
Israel’s parliament gave final approval to the law last month during its second and third readings, passing it by a vote of 59-7.
UNRWA says that 48,000 children attend its schools across the occupied West Bank.
Israel has previously taken similar steps against the UNRWA.
In 2024, the Knesset passed legislation banning the UN agency’s activities in Israel, citing allegations that some UNRWA employees were involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, events, claims the agency has denied.
The UN has said UNRWA adheres to strict neutrality standards.
UNRWA was established by the UN General Assembly more than 70 years ago to assist Palestinians who were forcibly displaced from their land.
