Palestinian Prisoner Society says Israel's family visit ban enables abuse

According to the PPS, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's decision is an extension of a systematic policy aimed at enforcing the complete isolation of detainees and turning prisons into environments where torture, starvation, slow killing, and concealment can occur without oversight or accountability. The society added that this policy provides the prison system with greater cover to commit serious violations.

The renewed ban on family visits comes shortly after the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the continued prevention of visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to Palestinian detainees was unlawful. However, the PPS noted that this ruling had no tangible impact, as Israeli authorities continued to prevent the ICRC from visiting detainees and renewed the ban on family visits. This, the PPS said, confirms that Israeli institutions operate under a unified policy to ensure the continuation of crimes against detainees and prevent effective oversight.

The Society stressed that the order is part of broader retaliatory and punitive policies intensified since the start of the genocide, giving prison authorities free rein to commit further crimes and violations. Israeli prisons have become an integrated system for the systematic use of torture, starvation, humiliation, medical neglect, sexual violence, enforced disappearance, and slow killing, becoming a main arena for the daily perpetration of genocide against Palestinian detainees.

The PPS recently met with ICRC teams to discuss the consequences of disrupting the committee's role and the serious decline in its ability to carry out its humanitarian mandate. The society called on the ICRC to issue a clear position to the international community, highlighting that Israeli authorities continue to prevent visits despite the Supreme Court's ruling. The PPS also urged the ICRC to disclose the obstacles hindering its mandate and to state that families are being denied their right to visit relatives, which constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law.