On Friday evening, the International Committee of the Red Cross called on all relevant Israeli authorities to protect the rights of Palestinian prisoners and respect the relevant obligations of international humanitarian law.
The committee said in a statement: “Under international humanitarian law, Palestinian detainees are considered protected persons and have the right to communicate with their families.”
The International Committee indicated that it has been working to facilitate visits by families of Palestinian detainees to Israeli places of detention since 1968, saying: “In the first six months of 2023 alone, more than 29,000 families of detainees were able to visit their families inside prisons.”
The Committee considered this a much-needed lifeline for both detainees and their family members, fulfilling a basic and universal humanitarian need.
The Committee confirmed that it stands ready to continue to support the families by facilitating these visits, and maintains, based on its mandate, an unannounced bilateral dialogue with the relevant authorities on issues of concern.
