Red Cross meets Israeli authorities in effort to restore access to detainees

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday its team met Israeli authorities and toured a military detention facility as part of efforts to resume access to detainees held in Israel, Anadolu reports.

The ICRC said in a statement that the team held a technical meeting with detaining authorities, conducted an assessment and toured parts of the facility, but “neither met nor had direct contact with any detainees.”

“This meeting is a step in the right direction towards resuming proper visits to detainees held in Israeli places of detention,” said Julien Lerisson, ICRC’s head of delegation for Israel and the occupied territories.

Lerisson said the organization would continue discussing the arrangements for such visits with relevant authorities to enable their resumption.

The ICRC has been unable to access detainees held in Israeli detention facilities since October 2023.

It reiterated the need to be informed of the fate and whereabouts of all detainees and to be granted access to them.

Under international humanitarian law, detainees must be treated humanely, provided with acceptable conditions of detention and allowed to communicate with their families, the ICRC said.