Zionist regime intensifies torture, slow killing of Palestinian inmates by banning family visits: Rights group

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) said in a statement that the decision by Israel’s so-called security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir regarding the renewal of the visit ban was not unexpected; instead, it represents a continuation of a systematic policy designed to reinforce the total isolation of prisoners.

The association stated that the decision transforms prisons into isolated environments where torture, starvation, prolonged suffering, and concealment from the outside world occur without oversight and accountability, thereby facilitating the ongoing perpetration of severe violations against Palestinian detainees.

It noted that the reinstatement of the ban took place shortly following a ruling by the Israeli Supreme Court that found the ongoing prohibition of International Committee of the Red Cross visits to prisoners to be unlawful.

The PPS stated that the ruling has not altered the circumstances faced by prisoners, as Israeli authorities persist in denying the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access and have extended the prohibition on family visits.

The rights group stated this further affirms that Israeli institutions function under a cohesive policy designed to facilitate the ongoing perpetration of crimes against prisoners and to maintain their separation from the outside world, thereby obstructing genuine oversight of their circumstances.

The renewed order is viewed as a new component in a wider framework of retaliatory and punitive measures that Israel has intensified since the onset of the Gaza genocide in October 2023, intended to completely isolate Palestinian abductees and grant prison authorities the liberty to perpetrate additional crimes and violations.

According to the PPS, since that time, prisons have evolved into a cohesive system that perpetuates systematic torture, starvation, humiliation, intentional medical neglect, sexual violence, enforced disappearances, and gradual killing, rendering them one of the most significant sites of violations against Palestinian prisoners.

The PPS added that it recently held a series of meetings with ICRC teams in the occupied West Bank to address the implications of the committee’s diminished role since the onset of the genocide, along with concerns expressed by specialized institutions regarding its waning capacity to execute its humanitarian mandate.

The meetings focused on the actions implemented by Israeli authorities to weaken the influence of international organizations, particularly the Red Cross, thereby obstructing their access to prisoners. This situation permits ongoing violations due to the lack of field oversight and independent documentation.

During the meetings, the PPS urged the Red Cross to provide a definitive official statement that would inform the international community about Israel’s ongoing obstruction of ICRC visits to prisoners, despite the ruling from the so-called Israeli Supreme Court.

Moreover, it called for the public revelation of the obstacles and measures enforced by Israel that obstruct the organization from fulfilling its humanitarian responsibilities.

The PPS also called upon the committee to recognize that the families of prisoners are persistently denied their right to visit their loved ones, characterizing this as a serious and systematic breach of international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, and other legal provisions that ensure the protection of prisoners and detainees.

According to Palestinian prisoners’ organizations, Zionist regime is holding around 9,500 Palestinians, including 350 children, 99 women and 3,244 administrative detainees, amid reports of torture, starvation and medical neglect.