Justice Minister Yariv Levin on Wednesday introduced legislation to the Knesset that would create a special criminal tribunal to try Gazans accused of carrying out massacres and atrocities during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. The tribunal, Levin says, could hand down death sentences to those convicted.

Under the proposed law, the panel would consist of 15 judges, either qualified for Israel’s Supreme Court or international jurists selected by the justice minister in consultation with the foreign minister. It would have jurisdiction over Gazans captured in Israel from October 7 to October 14, suspected of being Hamas operatives, numbering in the hundreds. Cases would be prosecuted under Israel’s 1950 Law for the Prevention of Genocide, which implements the 1948 Genocide Convention.

While the death penalty could be sought, its approval would rest with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in consultation with senior security officials. Levin supports capital punishment for such crimes, and the indictments have been drafted to allow for sentences of death.