Prisoner organizations: The prisoner execution law legitimizes liquidation, and we demand urgent international action

They added that the death penalty in the Israeli system is no longer just legislative texts or deferred bills, but has become, according to the statement, part of daily practices against prisoners through a policy of slow killing and direct or indirect liquidation, accompanied by torture, systematic starvation, deprivation of medical treatment and care, isolation from the outside world, degrading treatment, and extrajudicial execution.

They pointed out that these conditions have led to the martyrdom of at least 92 prisoners and detainees whose names are known since October 2023, considering this phase to be the bloodiest in the history of the prisoner movement, in addition to a large number of Gaza Strip detainees who they said were executed in the field or died under torture in prisons and camps without their identities being revealed.

Prisoner organizations emphasized that the prisoner execution bill is inseparable from the reality on the ground; rather, it constitutes a legal and political cover that legitimizes ongoing liquidation operations. The roots of the execution bill date back to the legal system that based some of its provisions on British Mandate laws, where its application for decades remained surrounded by political controls and calculations.

They added that this trend culminated on March 30 with the Israeli Knesset passing, in the second and third readings, a law that imposes the death penalty on Palestinians who intentionally cause the death of Israelis and lowers the legal requirements for imposing the penalty, allowing judges to issue the sentence by a simple majority instead of the unanimity previously required under military orders in force in the occupied territories.

They pointed out that the new legislative framework establishes two different legal paths: the first is military, which applies to Palestinians residing in the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, with the exclusion of settlers, and makes the death penalty quasi-mandatory, while restricting the possibility of replacing it with life imprisonment or granting pardons, except in rare cases for which the law does not clearly define the reasons.

As for the second path, it applies to Palestinians who hold Israeli citizenship, with the exclusion of Israelis, linking the penalty to ideological motives; it stipulates the death penalty in cases of premeditated murder with the intent of "denying the existence of the State of Israel." In these cases, civil courts must impose one of two penalties: death or life imprisonment.

The organizations continued that the law specifies hanging as the means for carrying out death sentences, to be executed by specially trained prison guards, granting them immunity from prosecution, keeping their identities secret, and criminalizing the disclosure of information about them. According to the statement, it also stipulates that the sentence be carried out within 90 days of its issuance, with the possibility for the Prime Minister to request a postponement of the execution in special circumstances, provided that the postponement period does not exceed 180 days.

They noted that the procedures include isolating the prisoner sentenced to death from other prisoners after the sentence is issued and denying his family the right to attend the execution, while the victim's family is allowed to attend court sessions and the execution.

Regarding the detainees from the Gaza Strip, and as a culmination of this exceptional system, the Knesset approved on May 11, 2026, in the second and third readings, a separate bill to try those whom the authorities describe as "elite prisoners." The bill stipulates that indictments be referred to a special military court, where this court will consider crimes under relevant laws, including, but not limited to, the crime of genocide.

They stressed that turning the death penalty into a tool targeting Palestinians, in conjunction with continued torture, medical negligence, and killing inside detention facilities, requires urgent international action that goes beyond verbal condemnation to clear legal and political measures. They emphasized that protecting the lives of prisoners, revealing the fate of detainees, holding those responsible for violations accountable, and ending impunity are all necessary steps to prevent the cycle of violations from continuing and to ensure it does not become a permanent and accepted reality.

In this context, prisoner organizations called on countries, governments, parliaments, and international unions to take a clear stance on the legislative and judicial institutions that contribute to approving policies that affect the right to life, and to work on reviewing forms of cooperation, representation, and institutional relations with them, including membership in parliaments and international unions, in a manner consistent with international obligations related to preventing serious crimes and ensuring respect for human rights.

They warned that the continuation of crimes and impunity will not be limited to the Palestinian people but will transcend the borders of Palestine, because exempting any state from accountability for serious violations weakens the international legal system and threatens the rules that peoples, states, and human rights organizations have struggled for decades to establish.

Prisoner organizations emphasized the priority of ensuring the immediate and unconditional release of all Palestinian male and female prisoners, considering that their continued detention under these conditions is part of a broad system of policies and practices that violate their fundamental rights.

They also demanded an end to the military court system that deprives Palestinian detainees of fair trial guarantees, and called for a comprehensive review of the detention system and the laws and military orders that govern the lives of Palestinians in the occupied territories, in a way that ensures respect for the principles of international law and human rights.

They called for the opening of independent, transparent, and impartial investigations into all cases of torture, ill-treatment, medical negligence, and death inside prisons and detention centers, enabling the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit all prisoners and detainees and view their detention conditions without restrictions, and ensuring their regular communication with their families and lawyers.

They stressed the necessity of revealing the fate of detainees from the Gaza Strip whose information regarding their places of detention and conditions remains unavailable, and ensuring that all cases of arrest, death, and release are recorded officially and transparently.

They confirmed the necessity of full international cooperation with the International Criminal Court and supporting ongoing investigations into international crimes committed against Palestinians, including crimes committed against prisoners and detainees.

They also demanded that the concerned countries fulfill their legal obligations regarding the implementation of arrest warrants and prosecution of those responsible for international crimes, and not allow the use of political or diplomatic immunity as a shield when legal grounds for accountability exist.