Israel’s parliament passed a law late on Monday establishing a military tribunal to try hundreds of Palestinian militants who took part in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, a step lawmakers said would help heal national trauma, Reuters reported.

The surprise attack, led ‌by elite “Nukhba” force fighters from the Palestinian militant group Hamas, was Israel’s deadliest single day and the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. At least 1,200 people were killed, most of them civilians.

Israel responded by launching an assault on the enclave that killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and left much of Gaza in ruins, according to Reuters.

Israel has been holding an estimated 200-300 fighters – the precise number is classified – captured in Israel during the attack, who have not yet been charged.

The special military court established by the law, to be presided over by a three-judge panel in Jerusalem, could also try others captured later in Gaza and suspected of ⁠participating in the attack, or of having held or abused Israeli hostages.

The new law was backed by a wide majority 93 of the Knesset’s 120 lawmakers, in a rare show of Israeli political unity.

Proceedings will be public, with major hearings broadcast live.

Israel’s penal code includes capital punishment for some of the charges which the militants are likely to face. 

A separate law passed by Israel in March making death by hanging a default sentence for Palestinians ⁠convicted in military courts of deadly attacks drew criticism at home and abroad and is expected to be struck down by the Supreme Court.

Hamas Gaza spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the new law “serves as a cover for the war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza.”

The International Criminal Court is probing Israel’s conduct of the Gaza war and ⁠has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as three Hamas leaders who have all since been killed by Israel.

Israel is also fighting a genocide case at the International Court of Justice. It rejects the allegations as politically motivated and has argued that its war is against Hamas, not the Palestinian people.

According to the BBC, Israeli human rights groups have spoken out against the new law, opposing the principle of capital punishment but also warning against “show trials” based on confessions allegedly extracted under torture.