Israel is locked in harrowing negotiations to repatriate some 240 hostages held by Hamas and other militant groups after the Oct. 7 attack in Gaza. In return for their release, the Israeli government has a bargaining chip that is extremely valuable to the Palestinians: the thousands of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.
Each of these Palestinian prisoners was processed by the Israeli military court system, which exists completely independently of the civilian court system with which Jewish Israelis interact. This system and the military orders that govern it have their origins in the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories in 1967.
In this video, two experts explain Israel's military court system, why it is the focus of outcry from human rights organizations, and why hostage negotiations have historically included the exchange of Palestinian prisoners.
You can find the video above and the entire library of Vox videos on YouTube.
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