GENEVA

Switzerland on Tuesday expressed "deep" concern over Israel's legislation imposing the death penalty on Palestinian prisoners, and urged its repeal.

"Switzerland is deeply concerned by the adoption of the death penalty bill in Israel," the Foreign Ministry said through US social media company X, noting that Bern has raised this issue with the Israeli authorities.

"We ... call on them to repeal this law, to reinstate the long-standing moratorium, and to respect their obligations under international human rights law," the ministry said.

Israel’s Knesset passed the law on Monday, making the death penalty the default punishment for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank convicted of lethal attacks against Israelis.

More than 9,300 Palestinians, including 350 children and 66 women, are currently held in Israeli jails, according to prisoners’ rights organizations and the Israeli Prison Service.

Reports indicate they suffer from torture, starvation, and medical neglect, which have led to dozens of deaths.

Since October 2023, Israel has intensified measures against Palestinian prisoners amid its military campaign on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 72,000 people and injured 172,000, according to local authorities.