In central Israel, the first purpose-built facility for carrying out the death penalty by hanging is under construction, with families of victims able to observe executions from special viewing rooms.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, that construction has begun on a facility for hanging convicted terrorists in central Israel. This is the first purpose-built space for carrying out the death penalty in Israel, located within an already constructed prison wing for death row inmates, according to a statement from Ben-Gvir's office.
Ben-Gvir, who also leads the far-right Otzma Yehudit party (Jewish Power), said from the construction site that he is fulfilling earlier promises. "I promised to worsen conditions for terrorists in prisons, and we have kept that promise. I promised to pass the Death Penalty for Terrorists Law, and we did that. And now, construction of the hanging facility has also begun," he said.
"We are making history," Ben-Gvir told the Jerusalem Post, adding: "Our terrorists deserve only one thing - death by hanging."
According to the announcement, the facility will include special viewing rooms from which victims of terrorism and their family members can witness the carrying out of death sentences. Special permits may be issued to family members of the deceased to attend, "as is customary in many countries," the statement reads. In June, Ben-Gvir appointed six family members of victims from the Choosing Life Forum as official inspectors as part of the implementation of the new law.
"No one deserves more than the families who have paid the heaviest price in the fight against terrorism to be part of the mechanism overseeing the enforcement of the law," Ben-Gvir said.
The Knesset (Israel's parliament) passed the Death Penalty for Terrorists Law in March 2026. Subsequently, in May, by decision of the commander of the IDF Central Command, Major General Avi Bluth, the law was also incorporated into security regulations applicable to the West Bank. As early as April, a petition against the law was filed with the Supreme Court, and in June, Arab Israeli Knesset members attempted to join it. The petition argues that the law is unconstitutional because it violates the rights to life, dignity, equality, and a fair trial, and that it discriminates against Palestinians given its application in military courts in the West Bank.
Ben-Gvir recently sparked new controversy with remarks that between 30 and 40 people should be killed every night in Gaza. In an interview with former Gaza hostage Roma Braslavsky, he said: "It's no secret that I disagree with the prime minister. I believe that targeted killings should be carried out in Gaza, eliminating 30 to 40 people every night. And not only those who pose an immediate threat; there are people there who are not worthy of life. They should not live. They are not even human."
Legal experts, human rights organizations, and opposition lawmakers in the Knesset warn that the law will not, in practice, be applied to Israeli Jews accused of violence or terrorism against Palestinians.
