Israeli prison authorities have begun detailed preparations to implement the death penalty against Palestinian prisoners following the bill’s first Knesset reading in November 2025, according to a report by Israeli Channel 13. A dedicated execution compound is being established inside the prison system, complete with staffing protocols, legal oversight procedures, and specialized training for personnel who will carry out the sentences.

The method selected is hanging. Three prison guards would press the activation mechanism simultaneously. Execution teams will be formed on a voluntary basis and receive specialized preparation. Legal supervision would accompany each stage. Officials cited in the report said sentences are expected to be carried out within 90 days of a final court ruling. The legislation, as proposed, would eventually extend to Palestinians in the West Bank as well.

The bill was submitted by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has made the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners a centerpiece of his political identity. He has staged prison raids, stomped on detainees’ heads, promoted footage of prisoner humiliation, and warned prisoners not to protest during Ramadan. He has also made clear that the death penalty law is not primarily about security — it is about political signal. It is designed to communicate to his base and to Palestinian society what kind of treatment Palestinian lives can expect under his tenure.

UN human rights experts warned upon the bill’s passage that it violates the right to life and the principle of equality before the law. More than 9,300 Palestinians are currently in Israeli custody, including approximately 350 children. More than 100 have died in Israeli detention since October 2023 under conditions that rights organizations have described as systematic torture, medical neglect, and starvation.

The bill still requires second and third Knesset readings to become law. But the execution compound is already under construction. The procedure is already being designed. The training is already underway. Ben-Gvir is not waiting for the law to pass to signal what he intends to do with it.

The international community has not imposed meaningful consequences for the 100 prisoners already dead. There is no reason to believe it will impose consequences for what is being built to kill more of them.