Hamas members who invaded Israel and took part in some of the most heinous acts of the October 7 massacre are set to be indicted by Israel.
A prosecution is being compiled and will soon be submitted, after substantial evidence was found on seized computers from the Gaza Strip.
In total, there are 22 Hamas members being indicted after Israeli intelligence trawled through piles of evidence, with help from American services.
All 22 infiltrated Israel and attacked the Nir Oz kibbutz, one of the most affected areas, where at least 47 people were murdered, with many more being killed after being taken into captivity.
Multiple women were tortured and raped, and most of the homes were torched. Six of those killed were among those fleeing the nearby Nova music festival.
Of those affected, the Bibas family are the most known, as the two baby boys were the youngest people taken into captivity in Gaza by the terror group and brutally murdered. Mother Shiri, 32, and her two sons, Ariel, 3, and Kfir, ten months, were all snatched and killed shortly after.
Father Yarden Bibas, 35, was also taken into captivity but was released alive in February.
Maurice Hirsch, director of the Initiative for Palestinian Authority Accountability and Reform in the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and a Senior Legal Analyst at Human Rights Voices, told TPS-IL that the case will have many facets to consider.
He explained that, due to the complex and convoluted nature of the Israeli legal system, the case could take many directions.
He said: “There is a question of whether our courts are equipped to deal with this… [and] which crimes do we prosecute for, if there is no specific once victim, and as they [the terrorists] don’t even know who they’ve murdered, it can make things challenging.”
He went on to say the case may take a long time to come into fruition: “It can take up to a year before anything starts, and the process could be arduous and personnel-intensive. So before anything starts, it could be quite a while.”
He pointed out that while held in a different country and with a different system, the Nuremberg trials were considerably quicker in comparison.
“It took 16 months to start and finish the Nuremberg trials, [but] 18 months down the line [from the October 7 attacks], nothing has started yet.”
He also said that whether Israel decides to prosecute the terrorists laterally or keep the case area-specific will determine how many terrorists may end up being prosecuted.
He commented: “It depends on who these people are. Will the prosecution go on a lateral basis or focus on one area?
“Where, when were they arrested? We can see if any of them can be linked. Fogs are still uncovering, but the country will do well if we can clear this up…
“It would be convenient if we could isolate 22 cases, but if I were a defence lawyer, I would ask for the evidence of mass murder.
“With the right determination, all of these considerations can be overcome, and it should become clear.”
More than 300 terrorists who took part in the October 7 attacks are currently being held in Israeli prisons.-ANI/TPS
