UN rights chief calls on Israel to abolish Oct 7 military tribunal

GENEVA – The United Nations rights chief on May 13 called on Israel to repeal a newly established special military tribunal to try Palestinian militants accused of taking part in Hamas’ Oct 7 attacks.

Israel’s parliament passed a law establishing the tribunal, with the authority to hand down the death penalty, late on May 18.

The special court is set to try attackers captured during or after the Hamas-led onslaught. It will also try those suspected of holding or abusing hostages in Gaza.

According to Israeli media, around 400 suspects are expected to stand trial before the court.

“There must be full accountability for these horrific attacks, but this cannot be achieved through trials that fall short of international standards,” Mr Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement.

“This law must be overturned,” he said.

“This law will inevitably institutionalise one-sided justice and discrimination against Palestinians, which cannot be in anyone’s interest and runs counter to international human rights law,” he said.

Hamas’ attack resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people on the Israeli side, the majority of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data, making it the deadliest day in Israel’s history.

Militants also took 251 people hostage, including 44 who were already dead.

Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has devastated the Gaza Strip and killed more than 72,000 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN. AFP