Israel's Ben Gvir hands out sweets after death penalty bill for Palestinians advances

Israeli minister Itamar Ben Gvir handed out sweets in parliament on Monday after a bill allowing death penalty for Palestinian prisoners passed its first reading. 

The bill was approved by a majority of 39 out of 120 Knesset members, with 16 voting against in Israel's parliament.

It would allow judges to impose the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis on so-called “nationalistic” grounds.

The legislation would not apply to Israelis who kill Palestinians under similar circumstances.

The bill now requires two more readings in the Knesset before it can become an official law.  

Hamas called the legislation "fascist and sadistic" and called for global action against Israel, including "deterrent sanctions."

The Islamic Jihad said the bill's passing was "a dangerous criminal escalation".

Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir handed out sweets at the Knesset on Monday to celebrate lawmakers voting in favour of a bill that would impose the death penalty on “terrorists”, the first of three votes required for it to become law.

Thirty-nine lawmakers… pic.twitter.com/BLo9ySJee3

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) November 10, 2025

The bill was approved last week by the Knesset’s National Security Committee, with four lawmakers voting in favour and one against, ahead of Monday's Knesset reading. 

Israeli security officials had previously opposed the measure, warning that it could endanger Israeli captives held by Palestinian factions in Gaza.

However, following the release of all surviving captives by Hamas last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the green light for the bill to move forward, according to Prisoners and Missing Persons Coordinator Gal Hirsch, who works in the prime minister's office.

He said the earlier objections had "become irrelevant".

Hirsch added that the bill was "a tool in the toolbox that allows us to fight terror and secure the release of hostages", according to Israeli media reports.

Israel's extrajudicial killings

Israel has long faced scrutiny for its treatment of Palestinian detainees, with human rights abuses documented by both international and local organisations.

Since 7 October 2023, arrests, extrajudicial killings, and allegations of abuse have surged to record levels.

Human rights groups report that Israeli authorities have systematically subjected Palestinian prisoners to widespread torture, resulting in the deaths of at least 80 detainees.

Israel returns Palestinian bodies showing signs of torture and execution

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The deaths have occurred amid widespread reports of Israeli physical abuse, sexual assault, medical neglect, and starvation of detainees.

A position paper issued by several leading Palestinian human rights organisations warned that the new bill is a "grave escalation" in Israel's violations against Palestinians.

"Israel presents itself among the states that have abolished the death penalty - at least for ordinary murder crimes - yet it has never fully repealed this inhuman punishment in law, and in practice continues to carry out extrajudicial executions through various means," the groups said in their latest joint statement.

"This law will apply solely to Palestinians, thereby revealing yet another facet of Israel’s apartheid regime, as the death penalty will not be enforced against any Israeli who kills a Palestinian."

Currently, an estimated 9,250 Palestinian prisoners are being held across 23 prisons, detention facilities and interrogation centres.

This figure excludes unaccounted-for detainees held in Israeli military camps, primarily Palestinians abducted from Gaza, whose precise numbers remain unknown.