Overview
- The High Court of Justice issued a unanimous ruling by Justices Yitzhak Amit, Noam Sohlberg and Daphne Barak-Erez that the state must resume International Committee of the Red Cross visits to security prisoners.
- More than two months after that ruling, the Red Cross has not resumed regular visits and Israel Prison Service officials have not implemented full access.
- Last month the IPS put in place a six-month procedure that requires prior approval and intelligence reviews and limits visits to one per quarter with only five prisoners named per visit and a maximum of 30 minutes per meeting.
- The Association for Civil Rights in Israel has formally contacted IPS Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, calling the continued restrictions contempt of the High Court ruling and demanding an urgent state response.
- The dispute raises broader questions about independent humanitarian oversight in Israeli prisons and feeds public criticism of the Red Cross over its failure to visit 251 Israeli hostages taken on October 7 while they were held by Hamas.