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Israeli MPs Set Up Special Tribunal and Allow Death Penalty for Hamas-Led 2023 Attackers

A Knesset vote is held on a bill concerning the prosecution of suspects in the 7 October attack during the opening summer session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, 11 May 2026. (EPA)
A Knesset vote is held on a bill concerning the prosecution of suspects in the 7 October attack during the opening summer session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, 11 May 2026. (EPA)
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Israeli MPs Set Up Special Tribunal and Allow Death Penalty for Hamas-Led 2023 Attackers

A Knesset vote is held on a bill concerning the prosecution of suspects in the 7 October attack during the opening summer session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, 11 May 2026. (EPA)
A Knesset vote is held on a bill concerning the prosecution of suspects in the 7 October attack during the opening summer session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, 11 May 2026. (EPA)

Israeli lawmakers approved a bill on Monday setting up a special tribunal that would try and have the authority to sentence to death Palestinians convicted of taking part in the 2023 Hamas-led attack that triggered the war in Gaza.

The measure passed 93-0 in the 120-seat Knesset, or parliament, reflecting widespread support for punishing those found responsible for what was the deadliest attack in Israel’s history. The remaining 27 lawmakers were absent or abstained from voting.

Rights groups have criticized the measure, saying it makes the death penalty too easy to impose while also doing away with procedures safeguarding the right to a fair trial. Defendants can appeal their sentences but the appeals have to be heard by a separate, special appeals court rather than regular appeals courts.

Because the bill empowers a panel of judges to hand down the death penalty by a majority vote — and requires the trials to be conducted in a livestreamed Jerusalem courtroom — it has drawn comparisons to the 1962 trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, which was broadcast live on television.

Eichmann was executed by hanging, the last time the death penalty was carried out in Israel, though technically capital punishment remains on the books for acts of genocide, espionage during wartime and certain terror offenses.

Opponents of the bill also say that livestreaming the proceedings before guilt is established risks turning the trials into a spectacle. They have raised questions about the reliability of the evidence that may be presented, saying it could have been extracted by harsh interrogation methods.

The war began when Hamas-led fighters stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 as hostages. Israel’s ensuing blistering offensive on Gaza has killed over 72,628 Palestinians, including at least 846 killed since a ceasefire took hold last October.

That's according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants, but says around half the deaths were women and children. The figures by the ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts.

Israeli forces also killed hundreds of fighters in battles in the coastal enclave and took an unknown number of suspects into Israeli custody where they now await trial.

Simcha Rothman, one of the bill’s sponsors who is part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling coalition, said the overwhelming consensus for the bill in the Knesset shows Israeli lawmakers can come together "around a common mission."

Several Israeli rights groups, including Hamoked, Adalah and the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, said on Monday that while "justice for the victims of October 7 is a legitimate and urgent imperative," any accountability for the crimes "must be pursued through a process which includes rather than abandons the principles of justice."

The bill is separate from a law passed in March that approved the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis, a measure harshly condemned by the international community and rights groups as discriminatory and inhumane.

That law applies to future cases and is not retroactive so it could not apply to the October 2023 suspects.

According to the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, the country still holds about 1,300 Palestinians from Gaza without charge in its detention facilities. At least 7,000 Palestinians from Gaza had been held in Israeli custody since October 2023, and 5,000 of them were later released.

The 1,300 number does not include those held on suspicion of attacking Israel on Oct. 7 or involvement in holding the hostages.

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Arab World

Syrian Official: 25% of Displaced People Have Left Northern Camps

A convoy carrying 108 displaced families from the Al-Rasm al-Jadid and Al-Rasm al-Qadim camps in Manbij, north of Aleppo (Syrian Civil Defense). 
A convoy carrying 108 displaced families from the Al-Rasm al-Jadid and Al-Rasm al-Qadim camps in Manbij, north of Aleppo (Syrian Civil Defense). 
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Syrian Official: 25% of Displaced People Have Left Northern Camps

A convoy carrying 108 displaced families from the Al-Rasm al-Jadid and Al-Rasm al-Qadim camps in Manbij, north of Aleppo (Syrian Civil Defense). 
A convoy carrying 108 displaced families from the Al-Rasm al-Jadid and Al-Rasm al-Qadim camps in Manbij, north of Aleppo (Syrian Civil Defense). 

Around 25% of displaced Syrians living in camps in northern Syria have returned to their home areas since the launch of the “Syria Without Camps” initiative in May, Deputy Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Ahmed Ekzayez told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Ekzayez explained that the initiative goes beyond closing displacement camps, focusing instead on restoring conditions in areas of origin to enable safe, voluntary, and dignified returns.

This includes rehabilitating hospitals, clinics, schools, water and sanitation networks, communications and roads, alongside creating employment opportunities for returnees.

Hundreds of Families Return Home

The Syrian Civil Defense reported that approximately 233 families left displacement camps in northern Idlib on Sunday for their home areas in Rural Damascus, Latakia, Homs, Deir Ezzor, Hama and the southern and eastern Idlib countryside.

The returns were organized under the auspices of Idlib governorate, in cooperation with social affairs and emergency management authorities, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the Muzn Organization and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. A UN delegation attended the aid distribution.

Most returning families originated from southern Idlib and northern Hama, according to the official SANA news agency.

Meanwhile, the Al-Rasm al-Jadid and Al-Rasm al-Qadim camps in Manbij, eastern Aleppo province, were officially closed after approximately 108 displaced families returned to their home areas in Aleppo and Idlib.

Aleppo’s Directorate of Social Affairs and Labor confirmed the closures following the departure of the final convoy on Sunday.

The Civil Defense Directorate reported that additional voluntary return convoys departed camps in the Idlib and Aleppo countryside under the supervision of the national committee overseeing the “Syria Without Camps” initiative.

Emergency and Disaster Management Ministry teams helped secure the convoys and provide healthcare services.

The operations form part of efforts to implement Decree No. 59, which provides for rehabilitating damaged areas and creating suitable conditions for displaced residents to return.

Plan to Close Camps by 2027

The Syrian government launched its “Syria Without Camps” initiative on May 9, 2026, aiming to resolve internal displacement and dismantle camps by September 2027.

More than 200 camps were closed over the past year, but approximately 140,000 families, representing more than 700,000 people, remained in camps as of September 2026.

Speaking Friday at a UN side event on reconstruction and sustainable solutions to internal displacement following widespread destruction caused by conflict and disasters, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ibrahim Olabi, appealed for international assistance.

He emphasized the need to rebuild affected communities, restore essential services and create livelihoods to support sustainable returns.

Olabi maintained that the government had addressed the root causes of internal displacement but warned that ensuring lasting returns would require substantial resources.

He also cautioned that the actions of Israeli forces in southern Syria were generating a new wave of displacement.

Sharp Decline in Northern Camps

Before the fall of the Assad government, northern Syria had more than 1,500 displacement camps and shelters, including 1,146 camps in Idlib alone.

Over nearly two years, the number of camps in the north fell to approximately 1,025, comprising 634 in Idlib and 391 in Aleppo.

The number of displaced families living in northern camps also declined from 261,000 to around 140,000, including approximately 82,000 in Idlib and 55,000 in Aleppo.

Across Syria, however, some 1,247 camps and shelters remain, underscoring the scale of the challenge facing authorities as they seek to end prolonged displacement.

Arab World

Iraq’s Closure of Al-Sheeb Border Crossing Fuels Tensions with Iran

A image posted on social media show's Iraq's Al-Sheeb crossing on the border with Iran.
A image posted on social media show's Iraq's Al-Sheeb crossing on the border with Iran.
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Iraq’s Closure of Al-Sheeb Border Crossing Fuels Tensions with Iran

A image posted on social media show's Iraq's Al-Sheeb crossing on the border with Iran.
A image posted on social media show's Iraq's Al-Sheeb crossing on the border with Iran.

Iraq’s closure of the Al-Sheeb border crossing with Iran has triggered protests in the southern Maysan province and heightened tensions with Tehran, as Iran-aligned armed factions accuse Washington of interfering in Baghdad’s internal affairs.

Dozens of protesters blocked the main road leading to oil companies in Maysan on Sunday, demanding that the crossing reopen.

According to Shafaq News, demonstrators shut down the vital Bazargan road amid a heavy security deployment.

Maysan Provincial Council Chairman Mustafa Duaier al-Mohammadawi gave Baghdad until Thursday to reverse the decision, threatening civil disobedience, further roadblocks and even Maysan’s separation from Iraq.

The closure has disrupted trade with Iran, driving up fruit and vegetable prices in local markets, Shafaq News reported.

The Iraqi government ordered the crossing closed indefinitely on October 20, citing incomplete technical and development requirements.

Government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi told the Iraqi News Agency that the suspension would allow improvements to technical and logistical readiness, while other crossings continued facilitating trade with Iran.

Tehran objected, with its Interior Ministry maintaining that Baghdad had provided no advance notice.

The Iranian Embassy also condemned remarks by Abdul Amir Taiban, adviser to Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on tribal and marshland affairs, who linked the Al-Sheeb and Shalamsheh crossings to drug and counterfeit currency smuggling from Iran.

Rejecting what it called “false allegations,” the embassy urged Iraqi authorities to respond to statements damaging bilateral relations.

Baghdad has neither publicly responded to the embassy nor reversed the closure.

Influencing the govt

Iran-aligned Iraqi armed factions accused the United States of influencing government decisions concerning airports and border crossings with Iran.

They claimed to have documented 171 violations of Iraqi airspace by US fighter and reconnaissance aircraft between September 30 and October 23.

Describing the flights as violations of sovereignty and bilateral agreements, the groups demanded clarification from Baghdad about its understandings with Washington.

They also questioned the independence of Iraqi decision-making, linking the alleged incursions to border and airport restrictions.

The statement provided no locations or aircraft details, and no independent evidence was presented to substantiate allegations of US interference.

Fresh test

The dispute comes amid fears of a wider confrontation between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other.

Baghdad previously announced understandings brokered by mediators from the Shiite Coordination Framework with armed factions refusing to surrender their weapons.

An initial truce, lasting until the end of 2026, commits the groups to refraining from attacks on US interests in Iraq and neighboring countries.

A second arrangement, running until June 2027, concerns disarmament and participation in the political process.

However, the factions’ latest accusations and the Al-Nujaba Movement’s rejection of political participation in exchange for surrendering its weapons have raised doubts about the agreements’ durability.

The government has not clarified whether the truce remains intact.

The Al-Sheeb dispute now extends beyond the technical reasons cited by Baghdad, combining local economic grievances, Iranian objections and pressure from armed factions.

Arab World

Israeli Forces Search Homes, Make Incursions on Fringes of Jabal al-Sheikh

Israeli army forces patrol in the village of Kfar Shouba in southern Lebanon on February 17, 2025. (AFP)
Israeli army forces patrol in the village of Kfar Shouba in southern Lebanon on February 17, 2025. (AFP)
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Israeli Forces Search Homes, Make Incursions on Fringes of Jabal al-Sheikh

Israeli army forces patrol in the village of Kfar Shouba in southern Lebanon on February 17, 2025. (AFP)
Israeli army forces patrol in the village of Kfar Shouba in southern Lebanon on February 17, 2025. (AFP)

Repeated Israeli incursions into the Arqoub region of southeastern Lebanon, along the border with Israel and Syria, have raised fears that Israel was planning on expanding its control and further restricting the lives of residents.

These developments have prompted locals to issue warnings, the latest of which came in a statement by an Arqoub committee that highlighted "incursions, alterations of terrain, and the clearing of roads" in the towns of Kfar Shouba, Shebaa, Habbariyeh, and Halta, all of which are located on the western slope of Jabal al-Sheikh.

The warning followed repeated Israeli incursions into the area, including the searching of homes in Kfar Shouba last week.

The committee warned against “a recurrence of past events that led to the occupation of the Shebaa Farms and the Kfar Shouba Hills,” pointing to “a historical lack of action or disregard by successive authorities and governments.”

It stressed “the need for swift and urgent intervention through the Arab League, United Nations, and UN Security Council to halt this aggression, these incursions, and the renewed attempts to encroach upon Lebanese territory.”

These operations are taking place within the context of ongoing Israeli movements over several months across southern border villages, specifically within unoccupied areas adjacent to what Israel calls the "Yellow Line."

According to retired General Khalil Gemayel, these actions carry "military, tactical, and security dimensions that extend far beyond searching for Hezbollah weapons or facilities."

"The Israeli incursion into Kfar Shouba and its surrounding villages, alongside the house searches, cannot be viewed simply as a transient military maneuver or a limited security operation," he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

These movements involve "three interconnected dimensions," he said.

Israeli forces conduct a patrol in the village of Kfar Shouba in southern Lebanon on February 17, 2025 (AFP)

The first is "expanding the scope of maneuver and field reconnaissance; entering the village outskirts, advancing between houses, and conducting searches allows Israeli forces to gather direct intelligence on the terrain, corridors, roads, and residents."

He added that these operations also aim to "erase as much of the villages' urban landscape and vegetation cover as possible, under the pretext of preventing Hezbollah from rebuilding its military capabilities in areas close to where Israeli units are stationed."

Gemayel noted that the second dimension involves "imposing a new security reality on the ground," explaining that "Israel is no longer satisfied with stationing itself in elevated positions and fixed military outposts on commanding hills that stretch from the sea to Jabal al-Sheikh to shield northern settlements.”

“Instead, it is seeking to expand its capacity to execute recurring ground operations within a geographical buffer that grants it greater freedom of movement and intervention,” he explained.

He said that "this does not necessarily mean it has decided to advance to occupy additional villages," but rather indicates "its desire to control and monitor the forward border area in accordance with its security interests, by creating a buffer zone held under fire where Israel applies the theory of flexible defense outside its occupied and fixed defensive lines."

The third dimension, it involves "pressuring the population and preventing a return to normalcy by searching homes, blocking farmers from accessing their fields, and restricting movement, thereby maintaining security, economic, and social pressures on dozens of unoccupied villages and complicating the resumption of regular activity."

Gemayel cited "the restrictions that farmers and shepherds in Kfar Shouba and Halta face regarding access to their lands and pastures."

Retired Brigadier General George Nader viewed the "repeated Israeli incursions into southern villages, not as limited military operations or random movements, but rather as a prelude to cementing Israeli military control and widening its operational reach inside Lebanese territory."

"Israel is seeking to encroach upon more land and impose new realities on the ground, either to improve its negotiating leverage following the Israeli elections, or to pave the way for expanding its military operations into areas beyond the Litani River,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.