Relatives of Gaza hostages say stop talk of execution for Hamas detainees.

On Monday, relatives of some of the 240 Palestinians held captive by Hamas in Gaza pleaded with Israeli MPs from the far right not to carry out the proposed death penalty for captured Palestinian terrorists. They argued that simply discussing the possibility of carrying out such a sentence could put the hostages at risk.

Israel has stated that several people suspected of being shooters were apprehended when members of an armed Islamist movement infiltrated the border of the Gaza Strip on October 7 and proceeded on a rampage, during which they killed over 1,200 people and kidnapped others.

The Israeli Ministry of Justice stated on November 7 that a task group was reviewing how to try the Palestinians who had been detained and how to ensure “punishments befitting the severity of the horrors committed” for those who were found guilty of the offenses.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, a minister in Israel’s far-right National Security Ministry, has advocated for the reinstatement of the death sentence, which is now illegal under Israeli law.

Even though there is renewed optimism about the possibility of a deal to free some of those held captive by Hamas in Gaza, some of the relatives of those victims are concerned that the publicity surrounding the debate regarding the death penalty could attract retaliation.

The captives have already been warned that Hamas would execute them, and they are in danger of being injured or murdered as a result of the military onslaught that Israel has initiated in response to the attack that occurred on October 7.

“It would imply participating in the psychological games they are performing. Yarden Gonen, whose sister Romi is among the hostages, told Ben-Gvir and his party colleagues during a parliamentary panel that they would see photographs of their loved ones being slain, ending with the State of Israel being blamed for it rather than them (Hamas).

“Don’t pursue this until after they are back here,” she advised them. “Don’t put my sister’s blood on your hands.”

The phrase “CONFUSED PRIORITIES”
Israeli security services apprehended two shooters who had entered Israel during the Hamas attack on October 7, about a month later, according to a Monday announcement by the Israeli police. The two individuals had concealed themselves in a Bedouin city in southern Israel.

Israeli authorities haven’t made public the total number of Palestinians they’ve detained for trespassing on Israeli territory. The Israeli military has said that they have seized over 300 Palestinians from armed groups in Gaza. These individuals have been transported to Israel for questioning.

The Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was the only person ever put to death in Israel by the authority of a court. This took place in 1962. Although Israeli military tribunals, which frequently hear cases involving Palestinians, have the authority to impose the death penalty, it has never been done so since it requires the approval of all three judges in a unanimous vote.

Conservative politicians have, throughout many years, argued against lenientening the terms of such sentencing, claiming that executions are an effective deterrent against terrorism.

Performing this task was “more critical now than ever,” according to Ben-Gvir, “first of all, for the sake of those murdered and who fell in the line of duty and, no less, so that there will be no more people kidnapped.”

His idea has been moving through Parliament at a snail’s pace. The conservative Likud party under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed little interest in advancing it during their protracted period in power.

Ben-Gvir’s party was accused of having “confused priorities” by Linor Dan-Calderon, who has three relatives who are captives.

“You’ve gotten mixed up because we are a nation that pursues life, not one that pursues revenge—even if, in the past, we did something to Eichmann,” remarked the politician. “I am simply asking you to drop this from the agenda.”