On March 19, Israel's Supreme Court unanimously ruled against the government's policy that prevented the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from visiting Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. The court determined that blocking ICRC visits violated both Israeli and international law, and ordered the policy to be rescinded.
The ruling came after the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), along with other human rights groups, filed a petition with the high court in February 2024. The Israeli government had requested 27 extensions before the hearing finally took place in late October of last year.
The court also held that the government had failed to provide a legal basis for its policy of canceling all visits following the Hamas-led attack in October 2023, which killed more than 1,100 people and took over 240 hostages. That attack triggered a devastating war in Gaza, which many scholars and a separate UN investigation have characterized as genocide.
According to ACRI, this is the first time in 50 years that Israel has prevented ICRC visits. The ban remained in force even after a ceasefire was signed in October 2024. "For the first time in nearly three years, over 9,000 Palestinian security prisoners held in Israeli prisons and military detention centers will be visited by the ICRC," ACRI stated.
The ICRC welcomed the ruling and said it was ready to resume visits. "We are continuing our dialogue with Israeli authorities to resume our work in detention facilities as soon as possible," the organization said in a statement, emphasizing that access to detainees is an obligation under international law.
The decision comes amid growing concerns over the mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners. Last week, the United Nations released its annual report on conflict-related sexual violence for 2025, citing acts of torture, rape, gang rape, forced nudity, and body searches without clear security justification carried out by Israeli military and security forces during detention and interrogation in multiple facilities.
