Key facts
- The Red Ribbons campaign is calling for the ICRC to resume independent visits to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
- Israel's Supreme Court revoked a ban on ICRC visits on June 3, 2026.
- The Israel Prison Service has implemented restrictions that limit the ICRC's access.
- The ICRC has stated its readiness to resume visits but has not been granted access.
- Human rights groups have reported instances of torture, sexual violence, and denial of medical care in Israeli detention facilities.
A global campaign known as 'Red Ribbons' is pressing the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to immediately resume independent visits to Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. The campaign highlights that Israel has not fully implemented a Supreme Court ruling from June 3, 2026, which overturned a ban on humanitarian access.
The Red Ribbons campaign, which began last year with supporters wearing red ribbons at protests, has called on the ICRC to ensure the practical implementation of the court's decision. An open letter also urged the Red Cross to restore regular, meaningful, and independent access in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Israel's Supreme Court had unanimously ruled that the government violated Israeli and international law by blocking visits since October 2023. However, the Israel Prison Service has since imposed restrictions, including barring visits to certain detainees, limiting ICRC visits to once every three months, and capping meetings to five prisoners for a maximum of 30 minutes, with commanders able to end them early.
Dr Mustafa Barghouti stated that the continued denial of humanitarian visits is a serious violation of fundamental humanitarian and legal standards. Adnan Hmidan, coordinator for the Red Ribbons Campaign in the UK, emphasized that no Palestinian prisoner should be hidden from independent scrutiny. The ICRC indicated on June 30 that it was ready to restart visits but had not received a date for access.
Palestinian prisoner organizations reported over 9,600 prisoners in early April, including more than 3,532 in administrative detention, along with approximately 350 children and 86 women. Rights groups and former detainees have documented severe abuses, including torture, starvation, sexual violence, and denial of medical care, within Israeli detention facilities, with the absence of independent monitors exacerbating the situation.