Palestinians protest in Gaza after Israel passes death penalty law

Palestinians gathered in Gaza City on Tuesday (March 31) to protest against the Israeli death penalty law for Palestinians convicted of lethal attacks.

Israel's parliament passed a law on Monday (March 30) making death by hanging a default sentence for Palestinians convicted in military courts of deadly attacks, fulfilling a pledge by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right allies.

The law would only apply to Israelis convicted of murder whose attacks aimed at "ending Israel's existence," meaning it would mete out the death penalty for Palestinians but not for Jewish Israelis who committed similar crimes, critics say.

The legislation has drawn international criticism of Israel, which is already under scrutiny for increasing violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and its war in Gaza.

-Production: Dawoud Abu Alkas, Fadi Shana, Yazan Kalach/Reuters