Red Cross Set to Resume Prison Visits for Terrorists Following Court Ruling

Israeli security officials are preparing for the return of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visits to security prisoners in Israeli jails, with visits potentially resuming as early as Wednesday. This comes after the Supreme Court overturned an order by former Defense Minister Israel Katz that had banned these visits.

The ban was implemented in October 2025, based on concerns raised by the Shin Bet security agency that ICRC delegates were passing information to terrorists. Katz had stated that such actions would severely harm national security.

However, in early June, the Supreme Court unanimously accepted a petition against the blanket ban. The court found that the state had failed to provide a sufficient legal basis for its decision, despite multiple opportunities to do so.

Attempts by the government to delay the resumption of visits, possibly until after elections, were unsuccessful. A bill proposed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's party to circumvent the court's ruling failed in the Knesset when ultra-Orthodox parties withheld their support pending the passage of draft exemption laws.

ICRC representatives have reportedly been instructed to travel to Israel, and barring last-minute changes, their visits to security prisoners are expected to commence this week.