Mass trials underway as Israel charges 22 Palestinians over 7 October attack

Israel’s southern district prosecutor has filed indictments against 22 Palestinians allegedly involved in the 7 October attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz, according to a report published Sunday by Yedioth Ahronoth.

The men are described by Israeli authorities as "elite fighters", and the charges were reportedly made possible following new intelligence obtained in recent months by the Shin Bet and military intelligence from inside Gaza.

The development marks the beginning of what Israeli officials are calling a "mass indictment campaign" related to the 7 October attack, unprecedented in both scope and scale.

Israeli authorities are pushing forward controversial legal reforms and proposing new legislation to ensure the trials proceed, despite breaching standard due process protections, such as allowing trials in absentia, restricting access to legal counsel, admitting secret evidence, and relying on written or coerced testimonies.

The report indicates that the campaign is not limited to Israel, with US law enforcement and judicial authorities reportedly briefed on the process.

Israel is said to be preparing a massive single case file that includes charges against hundreds of Palestinians accused of varying levels of involvement in the attack. Israeli officials are reportedly portraying the effort as "historic".

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the indictments are being led by the southern district attorney's office, in collaboration with the police's Lahav 433 unit, Shin Bet, and military intelligence (Aman).

The report notes that those accused have been held under inhumane conditions, interrogated by multiple Israeli agencies, subjected to torture, and denied access to legal counsel.

An Israeli security official told the paper that the Shin Bet is giving high priority to the prosecutions and is continuing to gather incriminating evidence from areas of Gaza reached during Israeli military operations.

A police source said key documents and materials were allegedly obtained during the ongoing war in Gaza, especially after the ground offensive in Rafah, allowing for charges to be filed against detainees who had previously been held without clear evidence.

According to the report, Israel is currently holding about 300 Palestinians it claims were involved in the 7 October attack to varying degrees.

Some were arrested inside Israel in the days following the attack, while others were captured during ground operations in Gaza. Israeli officials say these individuals will not be included in future prisoner exchange deals, but will instead be prosecuted under this campaign.

Controversial legal reforms introduced to fast-track prosecutions

The investigation, dubbed "Case 7/10", has involved collecting testimonies from 1,700 "survivors of the massacre" and 400 Israeli security personnel.

Prosecutors are reportedly considering consolidating these into a single, massive indictment or potentially several parallel cases. Final decisions are still pending, with legal authorities facing challenges over key pieces of evidence and legal procedures.

Meanwhile, the legal system is undergoing structural changes to facilitate these trials. Israeli prosecutors have drafted nine new legislative proposals, including one to allow trials to proceed without the physical presence of defendants or their lawyers.

Other proposed laws would limit the rights of detainees to legal representation, allow written victim testimonies in place of in-person appearances, and permit prosecutions based on the testimony of fellow detainees. Additional changes would allow for use of classified evidence that defence attorneys may be restricted from viewing.

In one of the newly filed cases, a detainee is accused of participating in fighting inside the Erez military base. Israeli authorities claim to have sufficient evidence to prosecute him.

According to the report, the Israeli Justice Ministry has also coordinated with a US-based investigative team to pressure American courts into compelling social media companies to provide access to server data that may serve as digital evidence in Case 7/10.

A source familiar with the process told Yedioth Ahronoth that US involvement in the investigation is deeper than publicly known.

The US is said to be conducting its own parallel investigation and is close to issuing its own indictments, though Israel has asked Washington to delay the process so the two countries can present their cases simultaneously and avoid political fallout.