Attorney Jana Modgavrishvili, a former chief military prosecutor, has been selected to lead the prosecution effort for Nukhba terrorists.
The selection comes as Israel prepares a special military court in Jerusalem to try suspects in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre and the holding of hostages in Gaza. The planned proceedings extend beyond members of Hamas’s Nukhba force to others suspected of involvement.
Knesset approves establishment of framework for prosecution
The legislative push came from MKs Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionist Party) and Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beytenu). On May 11, the Knesset approved legislation establishing a dedicated framework for the prosecutions, with 93 lawmakers voting in favor and none opposed.
On June 17, Rothman and Malinovsky toured the Atarot area in northern Jerusalem, where two possible sites for the court were presented.
Plans outlined at the time included nine courtrooms and seating for victims’ families, the public and journalists. Rothman also said that month that bulldozers had begun preparing a site in Atarot for the dedicated military tribunal.
Rothman has cited proximity to Ofer Prison and crossings used by Palestinian lawyers among the logistical considerations behind the location. He also described holding the proceedings in Atarot as an expression of Israeli sovereignty.
The Jerusalem Post has sought clarification from the IDF regarding her responsibilities and the timetable for prosecutions, but was told the information could not be provided by press time.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin spoke with Modgavrishvili on Sunday evening. An announcement said he “thanked her for taking on this important mission” and wished her luck.
Modgavrishvili spent a little over two decades in the military, serving as a military judge and in other legal positions, and eventually, in her last four years of service, as chief military prosecutor.
In June 2013, she was appointed to a role within the Justice Ministry examining complaints from people interrogated by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).
Her appointment formed part of a structural reform that moved the complaints examination function outside the Shin Bet, where it had previously been handled internally. The change was intended to strengthen public confidence in the handling of complaints against the agency.
Yonah Jeremy Bob and Keshet Neev contributed to this report.