Supreme Court Orders Israelto Permit ICRC Access to Palestinian Detainees

Israel’s Supreme Court rejects government ban on prisoner visits, affirming Red Cross access under international law.

Published On 4 Jun 20264 Jun 2026

Israel’s Supreme Court has unanimously rejected a government policy banning the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from visiting Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.

The ruling, issued on Wednesday, found that the policy of denying Red Cross access violated both Israeli domestic law and international legal obligations, necessitating its immediate repeal.

In its decision, the court emphasized that the government had not provided any legal justification for suspending prisoner visits following the Hamas‑led attack in October 2023, which resulted in over 1,100 deaths and the abduction of more than 240 individuals.

The conflict in Gaza, triggered by that assault, has caused extensive civilian casualties, with Gaza’s Health Ministry reporting more than 72,950 fatalities, and has displaced nearly 1.9 million Palestinians. The war has also precipitated a severe humanitarian crisis, described by several scholars and a United Nations inquiry as a genocide.

Concurrently, violence in the occupied West Bank has escalated, with Israeli forces intensifying operations. The blanket halt on Red Cross visits, a practice previously standard, has drawn condemnation from human rights organizations.

The ban represents the first such restriction on Red Cross access in almost five decades, according to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), which filed the petition that led to this ruling. ACRI noted that approximately 9,000 Palestinian security prisoners will now be eligible for Red Cross visits, even after the October cease‑fire agreement.

Initial petition

The petition, brought by ACRI together with Physicians for Human Rights, the Israeli rights group HaMoked, and the NGO Gisha, was originally filed in February 2024. The Israeli government sought 27 extensions before a hearing was finally conducted in October of the previous year.

The ICRC welcomed the court’s decision, stating its readiness to resume visits and underscoring that access to detainees and private meetings are obligations under international law.

Wednesday’s judgment coincides with mounting concerns regarding the treatment of Palestinian detainees, including recent UN‑verified reports of sexual violence, torture, and coercive interrogation techniques, such as forced cavity searches, carried out by Israeli security forces in facilities like the Sde Teiman camp.

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