Overview
- The Ministerial Committee on National Security approved moving the bill forward on Monday, sending it to the Knesset for the first of three readings.
- Israeli media report a plenary vote is expected this week, with further committee and final votes required if it passes the initial reading.
- Hostage coordinator Gal Hirsch said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports the legislation and argued earlier security objections tied to hostage risks no longer apply.
- The draft would apply to Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis for nationalist motives, make death sentences mandatory, allow military courts to impose them by simple majority, and bar commutation.
- Hamas condemned the move and urged UN action, while coverage notes renewed limits on Red Cross prison visits, at least 11,100 Palestinian detainees, and dozens of reported deaths in Israeli custody since October 2023.