Israel's Supreme Court Upholds Security Restrictions on Red Cross Visits to Terror-Affiliated Prisoners

Israel's Supreme Court unanimously struck down the state's blanket ban on Red Cross visits to security prisoners late Wednesday. The court said authorities failed to present a legal basis for the policy and cited decades of precedent and violations of detainee rights. The ruling requires the state to allow the visits unless it can demonstrate a specific legal reason to restrict them.

It covers those held in Israeli prisons and military detention. The ban had prevented International Committee of the Red Cross personnel from visiting security prisoners held by Israel. It was brought in at the start of the Gaza war and remained in place after the last hostage was returned in 2026.

A photograph from February 2025 showed Red Cross members observing prisoner releases at Ktzi'ot Prison under a hostage agreement. The court found that the prohibition on ICRC prison visits had no adequate basis in Israeli law or in Israel's binding international humanitarian obligations, according to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.

The ruling followed a joint petition by several Israeli rights organizations including the Association for Civil Rights in Israel to end the ban.

The Israeli state had argued that security interests demanded it suspend ICRC visits until all Israeli hostages were returned following the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. Some 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage in the attack. Israel jailed thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank following the attack.

According to Palestinian rights group Addameer, more than 9,000 Palestinians remain in prison, with over 3,000 jailed without charge. The Supreme Court previously ruled that prisons were failing to provide enough food for Palestinian detainees and ordered conditions be improved.

"We take note of the decision of the court and stand ready to resume our work in visiting detainees in Israeli places of detention," said Patrick Griffiths, a spokesperson for the ICRC.

ACRI will monitor enforcement of the ruling on Red Cross visits, the group's Karen Saar said. The Israel Prison Service, the Israeli prime minister's office and the Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.