Israel remains opposed to allowing the International Committee of the Red Cross access to detention facilities accused of harshly treating Palestinians from Gaza and is working on creating an internal inspection system, state lawyers said Wednesday.
Quick Read
- Israel Blocks Red Cross Access to Detention Centers: Israel continues to oppose International Committee of the Red Cross inspections of detention facilities accused of harshly treating Palestinians from Gaza, opting instead to create an internal inspection system, state lawyers said Wednesday.
- Previous Access Restricted: The Red Cross had access to these detention facilities until October 7, when Israel restricted external observations following increased tensions.
- Testimonies of Brutal Treatment: Released Palestinians have reported brutal treatment at these centers, where they are held without trial.
- Internal Inspection Proposal: Israeli lawmakers are considering forming an internal body to visit the detention facilities, hear prisoners’ complaints, and relay the information to Israeli authorities, aiming to fulfill the role previously held by the Red Cross.
- Rights Groups’ Concerns: The main rights group petitioning the court, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, argues that internal Israeli examiners cannot substitute for international observers and highlights mounting testimonies of appalling conditions in the facilities.
- Mass Detentions: Since the October 7 Hamas attack, Israel has detained at least 4,000 Palestinians from Gaza, interrogating them for potential ties to the militant group. Over 1,500 have been released, according to state figures.
- Hamas Hostage Situation: Hamas has rejected Red Cross appeals to visit approximately 120 hostages it is believed to be holding. Israel has declared 43 of these hostages dead.
The Associated Press has the story:
Israel blocks Red Cross inspecting Gaza detention centers accused of brutal treatment against Palestinians
Newslooks- JERUSALEM – (AP)
Israel remains opposed to allowing the International Committee of the Red Cross access to detention facilities accused of harshly treating Palestinians from Gaza and is working on creating an internal inspection system, state lawyers said Wednesday.
The Red Cross had access to Israeli detention facilities holding Palestinians until Oct. 7, when Israel sealed them off from external observation. Since then, testimonies have mounted from released Palestinians of brutal treatment at the detention centers, where they are held incommunicado and without trial.
The government lawyers wrote that Israeli lawmakers are examining a proposal to form an internal body that would visit the detention facilities, hear prisoners’ complaints and communicate the information to Israeli authorities.
The body is “expected to fulfill the purpose that the Red Cross has fulfilled until now,” the lawyers wrote. They were responding to a coalition of rights groups asking Israel’s highest court to grant the Red Cross access to the detention facilities.
In response, the main rights group petitioning the court said internal Israeli examiners could not substitute for international observers.
“Mounting testimonies reveal Israel has turned its detention facilities into a black hole for Palestinian prisoners enduring appalling conditions,” said the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, adding that the government was “investing a far-fetched mechanism in order to replace the accepted arrangement by the world.”
Since the Hamas attack Oct. 7, Israel has taken at least 4,000 Palestinians from Gaza into custody in Israel, interrogating them for potential ties to the militant group. Over 1,500 have been released, according to state figures.
Hamas has rejected Red Cross appeals to visit some 120 hostages it is believed to be holding. Israel has already pronounced 43 of the hostages dead.
