Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara on Tuesday approved new emergency regulations under which Hamas terrorists caught after the massacre could be remanded in custody and denied a meeting with a lawyer for 90 days.
Until now, it has been possible to detain and prevent a meeting for 60 days, all with the approval of a district court - as required by the new regulations. The legal opinion states that "the interrogation of the terrorists is complex and unusual, with unique characteristics the likes of which have not yet been known in Israel," and that there is a great deal of information held by the interrogees and it is necessary to continue the long and complex investigation. It added that there was a real concern that the investigation would be disrupted if the terrorists met with their lawyers.
The attorney general's document stated: "The dozens of detainees currently under criminal investigation provide a great deal of information regarding terrorist incidents – both in relation to preparations for them, in relation to the actual occurrence of the events – each in the sector in which he participated, and in relation to the instructions they received in advance. In the current circumstances, with the arrest of many dozens of people involved in the serious terrorist incidents that began the "Iron Swords" war, some of whom are currently being interrogated and some of whom are expected to be interrogated for a significant period of time, the need arises to extend the possible period existing in the law to prevent the aforementioned detainees from meeting with a lawyer.
At this time, and after almost two weeks of interrogations of the suspects detained during the events, it can be clearly said that the terrorist operatives being interrogated possess highly relevant and important information, both regarding the manner of planning and executing the many offenses committed, and valuable operative information that can save the lives of many members of the security forces with a forward-looking view.
In view of the expected continuation of the investigation, there is concern that leakage of information from the investigation may lead to disruption of the arrest of others, interfere with the discovery or seizure of evidence, and disrupt the investigation. In addition, in order to continue the war, it is of utmost importance to exhaust all the information in the possession of these detainees, and there is a real concern that its leakage to unauthorized elements may lead to harm to human life."
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