Israel Builds Death Row Wing and Gallows

According to the minister's announcement, the new facility will include several components: a dedicated wing for death row inmates sentenced under the law; a gallows at the center of the wing where executions will be carried out; observation rooms allowing victims and their families to witness the proceedings, as is customary in many countries; and authorization for official visitors from bereaved families to tour the facility and oversee the process.

"We are making history," Ben-Gvir emphasized. "Our terrorists deserve one thing only: death by hanging".

The construction follows legislative action earlier this year. In March, the Knesset approved the death penalty law for terrorists, with 62 members voting in favor and 48 against.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended specifically to participate in the vote and voted in favor, though the measure would have passed without his presence.

Under the approved legislation, the defense minister instructed the commander of IDF forces in the region to amend security regulations applicable to Judea and Samaria .

The amended order stipulates that a resident of the area who intentionally causes death through an act of terrorism shall receive only the death penalty, unless the military court finds special circumstances warranting life imprisonment instead.

In May, Central Command chief Major General Avi Bluth signed the amended order, enabling implementation of the death penalty for terrorists in Judea and Samaria according to the law's provisions. Defense Minister Israel Katz stated at the time: "The era of containment is over. Terrorists who murder Jews will not sit in prison under comfortable conditions, will not wait for deals, and will not dream of release, they will pay the heaviest price".

Shortly after the Knesset approved the law, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel petitioned the High Court of Justice against it. The petition argues that the death penalty is inherently unconstitutional due to "severe and irreversible harm to the right to life", and that the law disproportionately violates human rights.

Israel's move comes as many countries worldwide are abolishing capital punishment. Recently, Lebanon's parliament approved legislation completely eliminating the death penalty, replacing it with life imprisonment accompanied by aggravated hard labor. International human rights organizations warmly welcomed the new legislation, calling it a significant achievement in the global struggle against the death penalty.

In Syria, however, a criminal court recently sentenced Wassim al-Assad, cousin of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, to death after convicting him of serious offenses related to violence against civilians.

According to the verdict, al-Assad was involved in establishing armed illegal groups that carried out massacres against civilians, as well as deliberate and systematic murder and torture.