UN calls on Israel to repeal Hamas Elite Courts Law
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has called on Israel to abolish the newly established special military tribunal to try what Israel describes as the "Hamas elite" involved in the Al-Aqsa flood operation.
"There must be full accountability for these horrific attacks, but this cannot be achieved through trials that do not meet international standards," Türk said in a statement on Wednesday, May 13.
"The law will inevitably lead to the entrenchment of unilateral justice and discrimination against Palestinians, which cannot be in anyone's interest and contradicts international human rights law," he said.
Racist law threatens 400 Palestinian prisoners
On Monday, May 11, the Israeli Knesset, by a broad majority of 93 members, approved an exceptional law that would allow the establishment of a special military court to try Palestinian prisoners accused of involvement in the October 7, 2023, attack.
The new law allows this court to grant unprecedented powers, ranging from the issuance and execution of death sentences to the prohibition of the inclusion of defendants in any future prisoner exchange deals, making the sentences issued by this body final and not subject to political debate.
The law stipulates that most trial sessions will be held remotely via video conferencing from inside prisons, with the exception of specific hearings such as sentencing hearings, a move Israel says is aimed at reducing security risks and facilitating proceedings, and according to Israeli media, about 400 prisoners are expected to appear in court.
Human Rights Watch: Israel Commits Sexual Abuse of Palestinian Prisoners
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that the information revealed by the New York Times regarding the sexual violence and rape of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons is consistent with the findings of the international human rights organization in its previous investigations.
Claudio Francavilla, deputy director of Human Rights Watch and its representative to EU institutions, said that the data on widespread sexual violence against Palestinians in Israeli detention centers are consistent with what Human Rights Watch and other human rights organizations have documented in this case.
He stressed the need for an impartial and transparent investigation, fair trials, and immediate and full access to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and independent observers to all Israeli detention centres.
He called on the EU to take practical steps to pressure the Israeli authorities to stop what it described as gross and ongoing human rights violations and to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
Testimonies and documents proving sexual assaults on prisoners
On Monday, May 11, Israel attacked the New York Times after it published a report revealing that Palestinian prisoners, both men and women, were subjected to various forms of sexual violence inside Israeli prisons.
In a post on the American platform of the American company "X", the newspaper's correspondent Nicholas Kristoff said that he had dedicated time to covering the widespread cases of rape and sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners at the hands of the Israeli authorities.
In January, the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem published a report documenting abuses inside Israeli prisons, based on the testimonies of released Palestinian detainees who described being subjected to various forms of violence, including sexual violence.
The report included testimonies of forced stripping, violent beatings on genitals, the use of dogs against detainees, and sexual assaults using various tools, according to the report.
In August 2025, Israel's Supreme Court criticized the government for refusing to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to visit Palestinian prisoners, warning that the image of Israeli prisons abroad resembled Guantánamo.
According to Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations, Israel is holding more than 9,600 Palestinian prisoners, including women and children, amid accusations of torture, starvation, and medical negligence, which led to the death of a number of them in prisons.