The Israeli parliament has passed a law that allows the government to deport the family members of people convicted of terrorism, including Israeli citizens. The law targets first-degree relatives, such as parents, siblings, or children, of those convicted of committing or supporting terrorism. This controversial law was proposed by a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party.

Israeli human rights groups say the law goes against the constitution. Some members of the Knesset (Israel's parliament) believe it is aimed specifically at Palestinian citizens of Israel, also known as Israeli Arabs. The law permits family members of individuals who knew ahead of time but either did not notify the police or "expressed support or identification with an act of terrorism" to be deported. A person's relatives may also be deported if they publish "praise, sympathy, or encouragement for an act of terrorism or a terrorist organisation."

The Interior Minister has ordered the deportation of certain relatives. During the debate on the bill, some Knesset members suggested that it would not be applied to Jewish extremists, according to the Times of Israel. Opposition lawmaker Merav Michaeli declared, "Yigal Amir's family will not be deported anywhere," alluding to the Jewish extremist who killed former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. Mickey Levy inquired, "Will you deport Ben Gvir's family?" in reference to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's prior conviction for inciting violence and aiding a terrorist organisation. There was "no question" that the law was meant to apply to Israeli Arabs and Palestinians, Israeli political analyst Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin told the BBC.

"It is very unlikely that a Jewish citizen of Israel would ever be deported under this law," Dr Scheindlin said. "This is clear from certain provisions in the law itself but also important elements which will determine how the law is applied, including that in normal Israeli parlance, the term 'terror' is almost never applied to Jewish acts of violence against Palestinian civilians." Around 20% of Israel's population are Palestinian citizens. Last month, a truck hit a bus stop in central Israel, killing one person and injuring many others. The driver was identified by authorities as a Palestinian citizen of Israel.

Since October 7 last year, several Israeli Arabs have been convicted for expressing support or sympathy for Hamas on social media. Both the justice ministry and the attorney general’s office have raised concerns about how the new legislation, which is likely to face legal challenges, will be enforced. Eran Shamir-Borer, a senior researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute and a former international law expert for the Israeli military, stated that if the legislation goes to the Supreme Court, it would probably be rejected.

Shamir-Borer told the Associated Press news agency, "The bottom line is this is completely non-constitutional and a clear conflict to Israel's core values." Gaza or "another destination determined according to the circumstances" will be the destination for those deported. Ordinary Israeli citizens are not allowed to enter Gaza, except for military personnel.

Around 100 Israelis are believed to be held hostage in Gaza by Hamas, with about 60 thought to still be alive. If Israeli citizens are expelled from the country, they would still keep their citizenship, but they wouldn’t be allowed to return for 7 to 15 years. Permanent residents could be banned from returning for 10 to 20 years. Most Palestinians in East Jerusalem have permanent Israeli residency. A new rule allows children under 14 who are convicted of murder as part of terrorism to be given prison sentences.