IDF Appoints Prosecutor to Lead Trials of 400 October 7 Terrorists

The IDF announced yesterday (Sunday) that Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has approved the appointment of attorney Zana Modzgvrishvili, the former Chief Military Prosecutor, to lead the prosecution of the Nukhba terrorists currently held in Israel.

The Military Advocate General's Corps will oversee the trials of approximately 400 terrorists who participated in the October 7 massacre. The proceedings will take place in a special military court to be established for this purpose, and in many cases, prosecutors are expected to seek the death penalty.

According to Ynet, Modzgvrishvili served in the IDF for 22 years, including four years as Chief Military Prosecutor. After leaving the military in 2013, she was appointed to a position within the Ministry of Justice responsible for examining complaints filed by individuals interrogated by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency). The role was established to review complaints concerning the conduct of the agency's interrogators.

Modzgvrishvili recently returned to reserve duty and served as the prosecutor in the case of Aviad Frija, who is charged with causing the death of Yuval Castleman, of blessed memory. Castleman was shot after helping to stop a terrorist attack at the Givat Shaul junction in Jerusalem in November 2023.

According to the report, Modzgvrishvili will be employed as a civilian IDF employee and will oversee the extensive prosecution proceedings against the Nukhba terrorists.

The legislation governing the prosecution of the Nukhba terrorists was approved by the Knesset this past May in its second and third readings, with 93 lawmakers voting in favor and none opposed.

The law was initiated by Constitution Committee Chairman Simcha Rothman of the Religious Zionism party and MK Yulia Malinovsky of Yisrael Beiteinu. It was drafted in cooperation between Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

Under the law, the acts committed by terrorists between October 7 and 10, 2023, are defined as crimes against the Jewish people, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. These include murder, kidnapping, and looting. The legislation also applies to offenses committed after those dates against hostages held in Gaza, including those who were murdered in captivity.

One of the law's most significant provisions authorizes the court to impose the death penalty not only for the murders of 1,164 civilians and soldiers on October 7, but also for other grave offenses, in accordance with existing legislation such as the Crime of Genocide (Prevention and Punishment) Law and the Counter-Terrorism Law.