Israel has banned the ICRC from visiting Palestinian prisoners detained as “unlawful combatants”, citing security concerns amid ongoing conflict.
JERUSALEM: Israel has banned the International Committee of the Red Cross from visiting Palestinian prisoners detained under a law targeting “unlawful combatants”.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said the decision was based on security assessments that found such visits would “seriously harm the state’s security”.
“The safety of the state and our citizens comes first,” Katz stated in an official release from his office.
The order prohibits ICRC access to several thousand detainees named in an attached list.
This formalises the situation that has existed since the Gaza war began after Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
The ICRC confirmed it has been barred from prison visits except for pre-release interviews conducted under ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreements.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, which petitioned for ICRC access, said some combatants are held in military detention centres while others are in regular prisons.
Before the October 10 ceasefire deal, Israeli prisons held 2,673 prisoners categorised as unlawful combatants.
Hundreds were subsequently released under the deal in exchange for hostages held in Gaza.
The Israeli military recently accused Hamas of staging body discoveries to stall hostage returns.
Military officials provided drone footage showing what they called a staged body discovery in front of ICRC staff.
The ICRC said it was unaware the body had been pre-positioned before its team’s arrival.
The organisation called the staged discovery “unacceptable” and emphasised the importance of upholding agreements. – AFP
