The government on Tuesday allocated one billion shekels ($351 million) to the Defense Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces to fund the trials of the Palestinian terrorists who committed the October 7, 2023, massacre.
The decision came after the Knesset passed legislation last month to establish a special military tribunal to try those accused of participating in the atrocities.
The budgets, which will be allocated over the course of 2026 to 2029, will be used to establish the necessary physical infrastructure for implementing the law, including premises for the court, the prosecution and an IDF command center.
The funds will also be used to employ the necessary personnel for the trials, as well as for building maintenance, computer systems, broadcast services, and other requirements.
“The State of Israel will bring to justice the perpetrators of the most brutal massacre committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, and will send a clear and unequivocal message to all our enemies: whoever slaughters, murders, rapes and kidnaps Israeli citizens will pay the full price,” said Defense Minister Israel Katz.
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The hefty sum allocated Tuesday is about half the reported Finance Ministry estimate, of around NIS 2 billion ($689 million), of the cost of implementing the bill passed earlier this month. According to Hebrew media, the Defense Ministry estimated the initiative would cost far more – roughly NIS 5 billion ($1.72 billion).
Hamas terrorists are seen near the Gama Junction in southern Israel, close to Re’im and Kissufim, amid the October 7, 2023, onslaught. (South First Responders)
Under the law, the special tribunal will be able to charge the assailants with all relevant crimes, including genocide under the terms of Israel’s 1950 Law for the Prevention of Genocide. Trials will be open to the public and broadcast on a website set up for that purpose.
Those convicted of genocide charges will be liable for the death penalty.
Additionally, the legislation stipulates that anyone who is suspected, charged, or convicted of October 7 crimes cannot be released through prisoner release agreements.
Between 5,000 and 6,000 Palestinian terrorists, mostly from Hamas but including other terror groups, invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, by land, air, and sea, at multiple points on the Israel-Gaza border, and carried out a series of massacres in which some 1,200 people were killed. It was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.
The assailants also abducted 251 people as hostages and took them captive to the Gaza Strip, while committing a wave of other atrocities, including rape and torture, documenting the savagery on bodycams they wore during the attack, and posting the footage online and in messages to the victims’ families.
Ariela Karmel contributed to this report.
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