National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir appointed new bereaved family members as official inspectors under the death penalty law for terrorists, granting them oversight powers including visiting death row prisoners and supervising implementation, according to attorney Hizki Baruch (Channel 7). Among the appointees are Hertzel Hajaj, father of late Deputy Shir Hajaj who was killed in the Armon Hanatziv ramming attack; and Boaz Kukia, father of late Sgt. Ron Kukia who was killed in the 2015 Arad terror attack.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has appointed additional bereaved family members as official inspectors under the law enabling capital punishment for terrorists, granting them statutory oversight and monitoring powers. The announcement, published Wednesday morning by attorney Hizki Baruch (Channel 7), follows the initial round of appointments earlier today that included six appointees from the "Choosing Life" forum — as The Zioneer reported at 09:30 Jerusalem. The two new appointees named are Hertzel Hajaj, father of late Deputy Shir Hajaj who was killed in the 2017 Armon Hanatziv ramming attack, and Boaz Kukia, father of late Sgt. Ron Kukia who was killed in a 2015 terror stabbing attack in Arad. The role allows them to visit prisoners sentenced to death and supervise execution procedures in accordance with the law's provisions.
The thread began at 07:35 Jerusalem Wednesday, when Israeli media first reported the plan, with critics calling it "deranged." Minutes later, Ben Gvir confirmed the plan in an official statement aired on the program. By 09:30, the minister's office announced that six appointees had been officially signed, with names including Hajaj and Kukia — the same two named in the current update. The sources have remained consistent throughout: an initial Channel 12 report, followed by the minister's confirmation, then a formal announcement from the minister's office.
The appointments continue Ben Gvir's efforts to operationalize the death penalty framework, passed in March 2024, which applies to those convicted of the most severe terror offenses. As The Zioneer reported Wednesday at 09:30 Jerusalem, the first six appointees were all members of the "Choosing Life" forum. The new update does not specify whether the additional appointees are also members of that forum.
It remains unclear whether further rounds of appointments are planned, and no date has been set for a first execution under the law, which has not yet been carried out.
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Source and signal
- Internal intake