Several European countries have criticized the law this week, expressing “deep concern … about the de facto discriminatory character of the bill.”
Israeli right-wing and far-right lawmakers have pushed to expand the death penalty following Hamas’ attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, where about 1,200 people in Israel were killed, a large majority of whom were civilians, and 251 were taken hostage.
The attack prompted a major Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of them civilians, displaced 90 percent of Gaza’s population and destroyed wide areas. The ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump in October 2025 led to the release of the remaining 20 Israeli hostages.