Israel's national security minister is building a death row and hanging site for Palestinian prisoners, a dark turn for Palestinians and for anyone hoping the war winds down.

• Itamar Ben Gvir showed off construction of a new prison wing and gallows, complete with viewing platforms for victims' families.
• A death penalty law passed this year makes execution the default sentence in military courts unless judges find special circumstances.
• The law only covers killings meant to "negate the existence of the state of Israel," which in practice shields Jewish Israelis from it.
• Ben Gvir also called for bombing Beirut, and rival politicians are pushing to attack Turkey, signs the region could widen further.
• Israeli rights groups report prisoners kept in shackles so tight that infections and amputations have become routine.

Outlook: Legal ambiguity may keep judges from handing down automatic death sentences, but the political push is clearly toward more executions and more strikes on neighbors.