Israel is in talks with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) over new restrictions on prison visits to Palestinian detainees , the organisation has told The New Arab, after Israeli authorities introduced sweeping new rules that rights groups warn will shield abuses from independent scrutiny.
The measures, introduced last week by Israel Prison Service (IPS) Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi, sharply limit how and when ICRC delegates can visit Palestinian detainees despite an Israeli High Court ruling that the blanket suspension of visits imposed after October 2023 was unlawful.
The policy, adopted without consultation with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, comes amid mounting international criticism of Israel's treatment of Palestinian prisoners. Rights groups have documented allegations of torture, starvation, medical neglect and sexual abuse inside Israeli detention facilities, while humanitarian organisations have repeatedly called for independent monitoring to resume.
"We are continuing our dialogue with the Israeli authorities to resume our work in detention as soon as possible, including around the modalities and conditions of the resumption of visits, which remain suspended since October 2023," an ICRC spokesperson told The New Arab.
The restrictions follow Israel's decision to suspend ICRC prison visits after the start of the war on Gaza, citing Israeli captives held in the enclave. Although captives have since been released under ceasefire agreements, humanitarian access to Palestinian detainees has not resumed, prompting renewed concern from rights organisations.
Here, The New Arab looks at what the new rules mean for Palestinian detainees.
What do the new rules say?
The new IPS regulations significantly restrict how and when the ICRC can access Palestinian detainees.
Under the policy, the organisation will only be allowed to conduct prison visits once every three months and must submit an advance list of no more than five detainees it wishes to see.
The IPS also reserves the right to deny access to entire categories of prisoners, including detainees it classifies as "highly violent", those held in solitary confinement and individuals under interrogation.
Where visits are permitted, they will be limited to 30 minutes, with prison guards authorised to end them at any time.
The new rules also prohibit ICRC medical examinations, despite previous arrangements allowing examinations by physicians, and remove any guarantee that meetings will take place privately or face to face.
How will this affect Palestinians?
Rights organisations and legal experts say the restrictions will make it significantly harder to document abuse inside Israeli detention facilities.
Yair Dvir, spokesperson for Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem, told The New Arab that testimonies collected by the group indicate Israel's incarceration facilities have become "a network of torture camps" for Palestinians since October 2023.
"Inmates are subjected to ongoing physical and psychological abuse, systematic starvation, sleep deprivation, denial of medical care, humiliation, and sexual assault," Dvir said.
"The systematic denial of access to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is part of this broader policy of torture and denial of medical care, which has so far led to the deaths of at least 90 Palestinians held in these facilities since October 2023," he added.
Dvir argued that, with the international community largely failing to act, Israel continues to enjoy impunity for violations committed against Palestinian detainees.
Do the new rules comply with international law?
According to international humanitarian law, the ICRC has a recognised mandate to visit detainees and monitor their conditions.
While the new policy technically allows visits to resume, rights groups argue that the extensive restrictions undermine meaningful oversight and could allow serious violations to continue without accountability.
An ICRC spokesperson told The New Arab : "The ICRC's work in places of detention is mandated by the State parties to the Geneva Conventions. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, ICRC access to detainees, and the ability to meet with them individually, is an obligation under international humanitarian law."
Last month, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights said Israel's attempts to restrict ICRC access represented efforts to obstruct the organisation's humanitarian and monitoring role, which is mandated under international humanitarian law to protect people living under occupation.
Karen Saar, Director of Development and Outreach at the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, told The New Arab that under international law ICRC representatives "should have free access and the ability to hold meetings without other people present".
What will prison visits now look like?
If visits resume under the new rules, they will take place under far tighter controls than before.
Two ICRC representatives will meet each detainee from behind a partition rather than face to face.
Before entering, ICRC staff will undergo security screening and be required to surrender electronic devices, including mobile phones, smart watches, laptops, cameras, tablets and audio recording devices.
Conversations will take place through an intercom system, with representatives only permitted to speak to one detainee at a time.
ICRC delegates will not be allowed to enter detainees' cells or hold meetings with prisoners behind closed doors without Israeli prison staff nearby.
Previously, ICRC staff were able to speak with several detainees from the same cell, helping them identify patterns of abuse and corroborate testimonies between prisoners.