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Israel's Channel 12 claimed on Monday that Israel will allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to resume its visits to Palestinian prisoners in its jails starting next Wednesday, for the first time since the outbreak of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.
The channel stated that "the security establishment began preparations today for the return of Red Cross representative visits to security prisoners in jails."
It explained that committee representatives have been instructed to arrive in Israel, and that the visits are expected to begin during the current week, adding that "if no changes occur, this will indeed take place next Wednesday."
No confirmation of this has been issued by Israeli authorities or the International Committee of the Red Cross.
On June 4, 2026, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the government's policy of preventing the ICRC from visiting Palestinian prisoners was illegal and demanded its cancellation.
The channel noted that this policy was implemented after the outbreak of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and has continued since then, despite the return of all Israeli hostages held in the Strip.
In February 2024, Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations filed a petition to the Supreme Court demanding the resumption of Red Cross visits to prisoners, which had been halted since October 2023.
According to the channel, the suspension of visits was not limited to that, but also included the transfer of information to the Red Cross regarding the conditions of prisoners and detainees.
It added that the Israeli government attempted to delay the implementation of the Supreme Court's decision to restore the visits until after the general Knesset elections scheduled for October 27, 2026.
It pointed out that a bill submitted by the "Otzma Yehudit" party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, to prevent ICRC representatives from entering prisons and detention facilities, was not passed in the Knesset after Haredi members refused to support it before the passage of conscription exemption laws.
The bill stipulated preventing ICRC representatives from entering prisons and detention facilities belonging to the Israel Prison Service and the Israeli army, as well as preventing the transfer of information regarding prisoners to them, except with the approval of the Minister of National Security or the Minister of Defense.
There are more than 9,600 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, including 350 children and 90 women, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations, amid reports of torture and medical negligence against the prisoners.
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