14 diplomatic missions urge Israel to allow Red Cross access to Palestinian prisoners

Fourteen diplomatic missions to Palestine on Sunday called on Israel to immediately allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to visit Palestinian prisoners held in its jails, expressing concern over the deteriorating health of Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya.

The appeal came in a joint statement issued by the diplomatic missions of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the UK. The appeal was published by the EU mission on X.

The missions urged Israel to fulfil its human rights obligations towards detainees.

“We call on Israel to uphold its human rights obligations towards detainees under international law, including by granting the ICRC immediate access to all detention facilities,” the statement said.

They also welcomed the recent ruling by the Israeli Supreme Court that found the government’s policy of preventing the ICRC from visiting Palestinian prisoners to be unlawful, and called for the ruling to be fully implemented.

Israeli authorities have barred the ICRC from visiting Palestinian prisoners in prisons and detention centres since October 2023.

On 4 June, the Israeli Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the government’s policy of denying the ICRC access to Palestinian prisoners was unlawful and ordered it to be revoked.

The diplomatic missions also highlighted the expanded use of administrative detention by Israeli authorities, saying that more than 9,000 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, including thousands detained without charge or trial.