Relatives of some of the 240 people detained by Hamas in Gaza urged far-right Israeli lawmakers on Monday not to advance a proposal for the death penalty for captured Palestinian militants, saying even discussing it could endanger the hostages, Reuters reported.

Several suspected gunmen were detained after members of an armed Islamist group breached the border with the Gaza Strip on October 7 and went on a rampage, killing more than 1,200 people and abducting others, Israel said.

Israel’s Justice Ministry said on November 7 that the task force was discussing how to try the detained Palestinians and ensure “punishment commensurate with the gravity of the atrocities committed” for those convicted.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for the death penalty, which does not exist in Israeli law.

Some relatives of those held captive by Hamas in Gaza fear that the publicity surrounding the death penalty debate could lead to reprisals, even as they hope for a deal to free some of them.

Hamas has already threatened to execute the hostages, and they risk being injured or killed in a military offensive launched by Israel in response to the October 7 attack.

“Don’t do it until they get back here,” said Yarden Gonen, whose sister Romy is among the hostages. “Don’t put my sister’s blood on your hands.”

Radicals in Netanyahu’s government are demanding a relaxation of the death penalty

Two gunmen who crossed into Israel during an Oct. 7 Hamas attack have been caught by Israeli security forces about a month later, Israeli police said Monday. Both were hiding in a Bedouin town in southern Israel.

Israeli authorities have not released the total number of Palestinians detained for infiltrating. The army said it captured more than 300 Palestinians from armed groups in Gaza who were taken to Israel for questioning.

The only execution handed down by a court in Israel was that of convicted Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in 1962.

Israeli military courts, which often hear cases involving Palestinians, have the power to impose the death penalty by unanimous decision of three judges, although this has never been implemented.

For years, hawkish politicians have offered to commute the terms of such sentences, saying that executions deter terrorism.