THE Israeli parliament passed the first reading of a Bill on Monday that will allow for the death penalty to be carried out for acts deemed to be terrorism.

The amendment to the country’s penal code, proposed by Itamar Ben-Gvir, the country’s far-right national security minister, was approved by 39 votes to 16 in the 120 member Knesset.

The Times of Israel reports that the text of the new law says the death penalty would apply to any individuals that kill Israelis out of “racist” motives and “with the aim of harming the State of Israel and the revival of the Jewish people in its land.”

Critics say the wording means that in practice, the death penalty would apply almost exclusively to Palestinians who kill Jews, not to Jewish hardliners who carry out attacks on Palestinians.

The current Bill must pass a second and third reading before becoming law.

Mr Ben-Gvir welcomed the result of the vote on social media and said his Jewish Power party is “making history.”

But human rights groups have slammed Mr Ben-Gvir’s long-running push for such legislation, warning that it targets Palestinians specifically and deepens systemic discrimination.

Responding to the parliamentary vote, Palestinian group Hamas said the proposed law “embodies the ugly fascist face” of Israel and represents “a blatant violation of international law.”

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates called the proposed Bill a “new form of escalating Israeli extremism and criminality against the Palestinian people.”

More than 10,000 Palestinians, including women and children, are currently being held in Israeli prisons.

Meanwhile, conclusions of an investigation released by the Israeli military on Monday said that the country’s intelligence officials had failed to recognise Hamas’s growing capabilities or preparations for the attack, even in the early hours of October 7.

It also criticised the performance of ground troops, the navy and the air force.

“On the night of October 7, direct intelligence had accumulated which, had it been professionally analysed, could and should have led to an alert and a significant operational response,” the military said.

The report focused only on the army’s performance.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for an official commission of inquiry that would look into governmental decision making, saying such an investigation can only take place when the war ends.

Critics accuse him of stonewalling to prevent what is likely to be a damning report.