Will Israeli prosecutors ever charge Oct. 7th terrorists?

A proposed law would allow sweeping tribunal powers to expedite justice for Hamas atrocities..

By World Israel News Staff

The Israeli prosecutor’s office is holding up long-delayed prosecutions of Hamas’ Nukhba terrorists who invaded Israel on October 7th and raped, mutilated, and slaughtered civilians due to concerns about the use of a tribunal-style system to bring them to justice, according to a bombshell report from Hebrew-language outlet Ma’ariv.

MKs Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism) and Yulia Malinovsky (Israel Beitenu), who are both former attorneys, have proposed a law that would grant sweeping powers to the prosecutor’s office in order to streamline the case against the terrorists.

The Rothman and Malinovsky Law would see the creation of a military tribunal and the appointment of a special prosecutor, which would allow for charges against numerous terrorists in one megacase, with no need to formulate individual cases against each of them.

However, Israel’s prosecutors, particularly in the Southern District where the massacres took place, are opposed to the idea.

Sources told Ma’ariv that local prosecutors fear that the proposal, which bypasses traditional legal procedures, could be used to impinge on the rights of Israeli citizens in future criminal trials.

“The legal system is stuck in a pre-October 7th mindset. With the prosecution wanting ‘normal’ procedures and the classic standards pertaining to evidence…along with the way the courts are run, perhaps our grandchildren will get to see the convictions against the Nukhba terrorists,” Malinovksy told Ma’ariv.

The Rothman and Malinovksy Law is slated to be discussed by the Knesset’s legal committee this coming Sunday.

According to Ma’ariv, Southern District prosecutors have only managed thus far – 19 months after the massacres – to formulate an evidentiary basis for charging just one quarter of the Nukhba terrorists in Israeli custody.

In April 2025, Ynet reported that Israel has only 300 terrorists who participated in the massacres in custody. It was previously reported that there were some 1,000 terrorists detained by Israel.