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Israel Wants to Establish Special Court for Hamas Fighters

Pictures of prisoners held by Hamas on the wall of a synagogue in Berlin on Friday (EPA)
Pictures of prisoners held by Hamas on the wall of a synagogue in Berlin on Friday (EPA)
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Israel Wants to Establish Special Court for Hamas Fighters

Pictures of prisoners held by Hamas on the wall of a synagogue in Berlin on Friday (EPA)
Pictures of prisoners held by Hamas on the wall of a synagogue in Berlin on Friday (EPA)

Israel is planning to form a special tribunal panel to oversee the cases of detained Hamas fighters who participated in the Oct. 7 attack.

The Israeli public broadcaster, Kan, said that the government's legal advisor, the attorney's office, the court administration, and the public defender's office are all in agreement that regular criminal law isn't the correct avenue to try those who took part in Hamas's Oct. 7 attack.

Israel arrested about 200 Hamas fighters after nearly 3,000 members stormed the Gaza Strip, leaving more than 1,400 Israelis dead and 2,500 wounded, in addition to about 250 hostages.

Israeli media said that in addition to the 200 detained fighters, others had been arrested from Gaza during the ground operation, without it being clear how many there were and whether they were fighters or civilians.

Discussions between legal bodies about how to prosecute Hamas fighters are ongoing.

However, officials are moving to develop special legislation that would allow the establishment of a special tribunal, whose sessions will be broadcast live, to present a historic legal case against Hamas.

The Israeli Ministry of Justice refused to confirm or deny the report.

On Oct. 24, Energy Minister Israel Katz proposed another method through which the fighters could be brought to trial and then executed.

Katz requested approval to establish a court that would operate under Israeli law to prosecute Nazis and their collaborators.

Israeli law does not allow the death penalty except against Nazis or their collaborators.

Katz said that expanding the law to include Hamas militants would allow them to be executed.

The Minister posted on the X platform that he contacted the Minister of Justice, Yariv Levin, to establish a special military court that applies the law of crimes of Nazis and their aides to Hamas.

He added: "Death sentences will be imposed on those involved in the attack on the State of Israel on Oct. 7."

"The acts of these vile Hamas wretches, who cut off heads and limbs, tortured, burned, raped are no less severe than those of the Nazis," Katz wrote, adding that he didn't consider extending the law to include the Oct. 7 terrorists to be overreach.

It is not the first time that ministers and officials, including Katz himself, have called for the execution of Palestinian prisoners, but it is the first time that officials have proposed applying the Nazi Law.

Currently, there are about 7,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, including 2,000 who were arrested after the al-Aqsa Flood, while Hamas has about 250 Israeli prisoners.

Hamas proposed an "all for all" deal that included the release of all Israelis in exchange for freeing all Palestinian prisoners. It also said it would agree to partial agreements.

Hamas chief in Gaza Yahya Sinwar announced last Saturday that they are ready for an "immediate" exchange deal that includes the release of all Palestinian prisoners in "occupation prisons" in exchange for the release of all "Israeli prisoners held by the resistance."

Sinwar called on the bodies and organizations concerned with prisoners' affairs to consider that they were in permanent session and prepare lists of male and female prisoners held by the occupation ahead of the next stage.

In response, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari described Hamas' willingness to release the prisoners as "psychological terrorism" aiming to pressure Israel.

Israel is trying to liberate its prisoners through the ground operation without striking a deal with Hamas.

Tel Aviv aims to end Hamas, not negotiate with the movement. If Hamas succeeds in concluding a deal, its fighters will be among the released.

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Arab World

Egypt Keeps Communication Channels Open Over Mediterranean Maritime Disputes

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan during a previous meeting (Egyptian Foreign Ministry). 
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan during a previous meeting (Egyptian Foreign Ministry). 
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Egypt Keeps Communication Channels Open Over Mediterranean Maritime Disputes

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan during a previous meeting (Egyptian Foreign Ministry). 
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan during a previous meeting (Egyptian Foreign Ministry). 

Egypt said it remains in contact with Türkiye, Libya, Cyprus and Greece to resolve maritime boundary disputes through dialogue and international law, despite its rejection of a disputed Turkish-Libyan maritime agreement.

Cairo’s remarks came after Ankara renewed its offer to negotiate a maritime boundary agreement with Egypt that would serve both countries’ interests. The proposal followed Egypt’s rejection of the Libyan parliament’s ratification last week of a maritime memorandum signed with Türkiye in late 2019.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ambassador Nader Zaki told Asharq Al-Awsat that Cairo believes maritime differences must be resolved through “serious dialogue, adherence to international law and mutual respect for sovereign rights.”

“Channels of communication remain open with all parties, including Cyprus, Greece, Türkiye and Libya,” he said, citing Egypt’s commitment to its longstanding ties with countries on both shores of the Mediterranean.

Zaki stressed that those relations must be built on respect for international law and sovereign rights that “cannot be compromised,” while avoiding disputes that could undermine stability and relations among Mediterranean states.

Cairo Reaffirms Rejection of Turkish-Libyan Agreement

Libya’s House of Representatives voted last week to approve two agreements with Türkiye covering maritime boundaries and security cooperation, prompting Cairo to reiterate its rejection of the maritime deal as “absolutely null and void.”

Zaki said Egypt’s latest objection was consistent with its position since 2019, arguing that the memorandum infringes on its sovereign rights in the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

“Egypt’s position on this invalid memorandum is based on national interests and the rejection of any infringement upon them,” he said.

The spokesman also challenged the agreement’s legal basis, saying it violates several binding principles of international law, including the principle that treaties do not create obligations for third parties.

“An agreement signed by two states is not binding on other states,” he explained.

Zaki also cited the prohibition against infringing on the rights of third countries and the principle of equitable maritime delimitation, arguing that the memorandum disregards these established legal rules.

“Egypt’s legal position is extremely strong and is shared by many countries,” he said.

Erdogan Calls for Regional Dialogue

The Turkish-Libyan memorandum has also drawn objections from Greece, Cyprus and the European Union.

Responding to criticism on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara was not seeking political gains at the expense of any party in the Eastern Mediterranean.

He called for dialogue with all countries in the region and pledged to maintain Türkiye’s relations with all parties involved in Libya.

Arab World

Türkiye, Egypt to Hold Naval Drills Amid Eastern Mediterranean Tensions

Egypt and Türkiye resumed the Sea of Friendship naval exercises in September 2025 after a 13-year suspension. (Turkish Defense Ministry)
Egypt and Türkiye resumed the Sea of Friendship naval exercises in September 2025 after a 13-year suspension. (Turkish Defense Ministry)
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Türkiye, Egypt to Hold Naval Drills Amid Eastern Mediterranean Tensions

Egypt and Türkiye resumed the Sea of Friendship naval exercises in September 2025 after a 13-year suspension. (Turkish Defense Ministry)
Egypt and Türkiye resumed the Sea of Friendship naval exercises in September 2025 after a 13-year suspension. (Turkish Defense Ministry)

Türkiye and Egypt will hold joint naval exercises in Alexandria from November 4 to 9, Ankara announced, amid renewed tensions over a disputed maritime boundary agreement between Türkiye and Libya.

The announcement follows the Libyan parliament’s ratification of the 2019 agreement, drawing objections from Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, the European Union and Israel.

The Turkish Defense Ministry said the Sea of Friendship 2026 exercises would involve naval units and personnel from both countries in surface warfare, anti-submarine operations, air defense and underwater assault training involving combat divers.

Defense Ministry spokesman Zeki Akturk said the Turkish warship TCG Burgazada would visit Alexandria from November 1 to 3, following a port call in Souda, Greece, from October 25 to 28.

Growing military cooperation

The exercises reflect expanding military cooperation between Cairo and Ankara, including defense industry agreements, technology transfers, high-level military exchanges and joint training.

Turkish Land Forces Commander Gen. Metin Tokel visited Egypt on October 26 and 27, although the ministry provided no details about his meetings or itinerary.

The two countries resumed the Sea of Friendship exercises in September 2025 at the Aksaz naval base in Mugla, southwestern Türkiye, following a 13-year suspension amid tensions over the ouster of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood government. Cairo designates the Brotherhood a terrorist organization.

The drills had previously been held annually from 2009 to 2013.

Following the normalization of relations in 2024, Egypt and Türkiye signed a letter of intent on defense cooperation in July 2026 during Egyptian Defense Minister Ashraf Salem Zaher’s visit to Ankara.

Zaher held talks with his Turkish counterpart, Yasar Guler, on expanding military cooperation, particularly in joint training, defense manufacturing, technology transfer and exchanges of expertise.

The two countries have since conducted several joint exercises, including Golden Eagle, involving Egyptian paratroopers and commandos alongside Turkish special forces, as well as air force training.

Egyptian aircraft also participated in the annual Anatolian Eagle 2026 exercise in Konya, central Türkiye, in June, alongside Azerbaijan and a NATO airborne early warning aircraft.

Regional tensions

The exercises come against a backdrop of renewed tensions following the Libyan House of Representatives’ October 20 ratification of a maritime boundary memorandum signed on November 27, 2019, between Türkiye and Libya’s former Government of National Accord, led by Fayez al-Sarraj.

The agreement remains contested by neighboring countries and the European Union.

Ankara has renewed its offer to negotiate maritime boundaries with Egypt, saying that an agreement with Türkiye would give Cairo more than 15,000 additional square kilometers of maritime jurisdiction compared with a potential deal with Greece.

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis rejected the proposal’s underlying approach, telling the newspaper Kathimerini that maritime zones were “not up for auction.”

He reaffirmed Greece’s strategic ties with Egypt and their shared commitment to international law, warning that disregarding maritime rules could have repercussions for global trade, food and energy security, and ocean protection.

Gerapetritis also pointed to a joint statement issued Monday by the UN representatives of Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the European Union opposing the Türkiye-Libya agreement.

He noted that Egypt’s permanent representative to the United Nations stood alongside him in New York as he delivered the statement.

Despite the maritime dispute, Türkiye and Greece are continuing military confidence-building efforts.

Akturk said the commander of Greece’s Tactical Air Force and an accompanying delegation would visit Türkiye’s Combat Air Force Command from November 3 to 5 under the two countries’ confidence-building plan.

Arab World

Lebanese Forces Boycott Cabinet Meeting Over Hezbollah Explosives Case

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chairs a cabinet meeting in the absence of Lebanese Forces ministers. (Prime Minister’s Office)
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chairs a cabinet meeting in the absence of Lebanese Forces ministers. (Prime Minister’s Office)
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Lebanese Forces Boycott Cabinet Meeting Over Hezbollah Explosives Case

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chairs a cabinet meeting in the absence of Lebanese Forces ministers. (Prime Minister’s Office)
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chairs a cabinet meeting in the absence of Lebanese Forces ministers. (Prime Minister’s Office)

Ministers from the Lebanese Forces party boycotted a cabinet meeting on Thursday over the government’s failure to refer a case involving Hezbollah explosives seized in Dahr al-Baidar to Lebanon’s Judicial Council.

The boycott marked an escalation in the dispute after the case was left off the agenda of a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Grand Serail and devoted to waste management.

Lebanese Forces sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the party could continue boycotting cabinet sessions as long as its demands remained unmet, although it might participate in meetings addressing matters of major strategic importance.

The standoff follows the cabinet’s decision at its previous meeting to postpone a ruling on whether to refer the case to the Judicial Council, pending further progress in the investigation.

Hezbollah has acknowledged responsibility for the explosives shipment, but the Lebanese Forces argue that the seriousness of the case warrants an immediate referral.

Ahead of Thursday’s meeting, Justice Minister Adel Nassar, who is affiliated with the Lebanese Forces, vowed to press the issue.

“I will raise the question of referring the Dahr al-Baidar explosives case to the Judicial Council. There will be no concessions or compromise,” he declared.

Nassar added that he would demand a date for discussing the referral if Salam refused to address it during the session.

Lebanese Forces sources accused the government of repeatedly avoiding a decision on the explosives case.

“The waste management issue is certainly important, but there are more pressing priorities today, foremost among them a case of the magnitude of the Dahr al-Baidar explosives,” they told Asharq Al-Awsat.

They criticized the repeated postponements, arguing that successive Cabinet meetings had failed to produce a decision on referring the case to the Judicial Council.

The party had taken a clear position against attending Cabinet sessions until the matter was resolved, the sources explained.

“A case of this magnitude cannot continue to be handled through repeated delays while meetings are held to discuss other issues, however important they may be,” they added.

The Lebanese Forces stepped up criticism of the judicial investigation, accusing authorities of overlooking public admissions by senior Hezbollah officials while pursuing lower-ranking operatives who lacked the authority to order the explosives shipment.

In a statement, the party’s media office noted that senior Hezbollah officials, including lawmakers and party leaders, had publicly acknowledged that the group was transporting the explosives and that they belonged to it.

The Lebanese Forces described the Dahr al-Baidar case as a matter of national security affecting all Lebanese citizens.

Whatever justification was offered for transporting the explosives, the shipment posed a serious danger even if Hezbollah’s claim that the materials were intended for use against Israel proved true, it added.

The explosives represented a grave threat to residents of South Lebanon in particular and to the Lebanese population as a whole, the statement warned.