Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Israeli newspaper Haaretz said the Israeli government continues to block the International Committee of the Red Cross from visiting thousands of Palestinian detainees and hostages held in Israeli prisons, despite Israel’s obligations under the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions.
In a sharply worded editorial, the newspaper said Israel remains legally bound to allow Red Cross representatives to visit Palestinian hostages, yet authorities continue to reject such access.
According to the editorial, Israel justifies the ban by accusing Hamas resistance movement of previously denying similar visits to Israeli soldier prisoners held in Gaza after October 7, 2023.
Haaretz rejected that argument and said a state should not compare itself to a movement. The paper stressed that all Israeli soldier prisoners have already returned home, leaving no justification for preventing international inspections inside Israeli detention centers.
The editorial linked the worsening prison conditions to policies introduced by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. It said these measures contributed to the deaths of more than 80 Palestinian hostages through torture, starvation, and disease.
Haaretz added that many released hostages appeared severely emaciated and described them as ghosts and skeletons after enduring harsh prison conditions.
The newspaper also cited a recent article by American columnist Nicholas Kristof published in The New York Times. The report included testimonies from 14 former Palestinian hostages who described abuse and sexual violence inside Israeli prisons.
According to Haaretz, the testimonies shocked political and media circles because they exposed not only violence inside prisons, but also a broader Israeli strategy of secrecy and concealment.
The newspaper further revealed that Israel has held secret talks with the International Committee of the Red Cross about allowing limited visits to detention facilities. However, the proposed arrangement would reportedly prevent Red Cross officials from meeting detainees directly.
Haaretz dismissed the proposal as worthless and warned that reports about solitary confinement and starvation of Palestinian children in Israeli prisons should alarm every Israeli citizen.
The editorial concluded that leaked footage of Ben-Gvir’s prison visits and mounting reports about abuses inside detention facilities represent a deep moral stain that threatens Israeli society itself.
