Israel is moving toward opening a special court for the Oct. 7 massacre defendants in a dedicated complex in Atarot, Jerusalem, where proceedings against Nukhba fighters and others involved in the killings and kidnappings to Gaza are expected to be held. On Wednesday, lawmakers Yulia Malinovsky and Simcha Rothman, who promoted the bill, toured the site and were shown two possible locations for the facility, which would cover about 40 dunams and include nine courtrooms, seating for the public, victims’ families, and media representatives.
The chosen complex would sit between the old airport and the local industrial zone in Atarot. After discussions in the justice and defense systems, officials rejected other options, including sites near the Gaza border area, and settled on Jerusalem because of its status as Israel’s capital and the symbolic and international weight of holding the trials there.
At the same time, the process of selecting and appointing judges has begun. Officials estimate the first indictments will be filed in the coming months, and the court is expected to operate through 15 three-judge panels for large cases in which groups of militants will be tried. More than 500 suspects are expected to stand trial, though that number is not final because security agencies are still identifying additional people linked to the massacre and the kidnappings.
The special tribunal law was approved by the Knesset by 93 votes to none. It creates a dedicated framework for prosecuting those involved in the attack and those who held Israeli hostages in Gaza. Hearings will be public, and any non-sensitive sessions will be broadcast live. The law also allows the court to impose the death penalty for genocide and harm to state sovereignty, with an automatic special appeal even if the defendant does not request one, and in some cases it permits departures from ordinary evidence rules.
Defense lawyers for the accused will not be paid by the state. Instead, their costs are to be offset from Palestinian Authority funds, and some lawyers may come from Palestinian Authority territory. The law further bars militants sentenced to life imprisonment from being released later in hostage-exchange deals or political agreements. The IDF and the Israel Prisons Service are already preparing for transport, security, and logistics for what officials describe as one of the largest and most complex legal proceedings in Israel’s history.
