The
Palestinian Foundation for Human Rights (Shahed) condemns the decision of
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz to continue to prevent the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from visiting Palestinian prisoners and
detainees in Israeli prisons, under the pretext of flimsy security, considering
that this decision constitutes an additional cover for the Israeli prison
system to continue its crimes against prisoners and cover them up, in flagrant
violation of international humanitarian law.
This
dangerous decision comes at a time of heightened international concern about
the fate of thousands of Palestinian prisoners who have been living in harsh
and degrading conditions of detention since the outbreak of the war on the Gaza
Strip on October 7, 2023, as they have been denied visits for more than a year,
and repeated deaths have been recorded as a result of torture, medical
negligence, starvation, and denial of treatment and visits.
Shahid
believes that the continued ban on ICRC visits is a clear violation of articles
126 of the Third Geneva Convention and 143 of the Fourth Geneva Convention,
which guarantee the right of prisoners and detainees to receive periodic visits
from ICRC representatives without arbitrary restrictions.
This
action is also considered a war crime under Article 8 of the Rome Statute of
the International Criminal Court and forms part of the policy of genocide
practiced by the occupying authorities against the Palestinian people, both
inside and outside the prison walls.
Shahid
points out that the documented testimonies of the released prisoners revealed
an unprecedented pattern of systematic crimes, including:
• Physical and psychological torture;
Sexual assaults,
• Starvation and deprivation of water and clean air;
• Overcrowding and lack of hygiene,
Summary executions in detention centres,
These
practices are crimes against humanity under Article 7 of the Rome Statute.
Based
on the above, the Palestinian Foundation for Human Rights (Shahed) holds the
Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for the lives and safety of
Palestinian prisoners and detainees, and considers the continued ban on visits
an additional crime against them. It therefore demands
▶️ Calls on the international community,
led by the United Nations and the Human Rights Council, to establish an
independent and comprehensive international commission of inquiry to look into
crimes committed in Israeli prisons, including torture, slow killings, and
summary executions.
▶️The International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC) calls for a public and clear stance against the occupation's
decision, immediate pressure to resume its field duties, and not to be
satisfied with its negative neutrality, which is losing its humanitarian and
oversight role.
▶️The International Criminal Court calls
for an urgent and independent investigation into these violations as crimes
against humanity and genocide that warrant prosecution.
Beirut,
30 October 2025
Palestinian
Organization for Human Rights (WATCH)