Israel’s highest court ruled on Sunday that the government has neglected to provide Palestinian security detainees with sufficient food for basic sustenance and mandated authorities to enhance their dietary intake. This decision marked a rare instance of the Supreme Court ruling against the government’s actions during the nearly two-year conflict.
During the ongoing conflict, Israel has detained numerous individuals in Gaza suspected of affiliations with Hamas. Many have been released without formal charges, often following prolonged periods of incarceration. Human rights organizations have reported widespread mistreatment in prisons and detention centers, citing inadequate food and healthcare, unsanitary conditions, and physical abuse. In a tragic incident in March, a 17-year-old Palestinian succumbed to death in an Israeli prison, with doctors attributing starvation as the primary cause.
The court’s ruling stemmed from a petition filed last year by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and the Israeli rights group Gisha. These groups alleged that a post-war revision in the food policy led to malnutrition and starvation among prisoners.
In a 2-1 decision, the panel of three justices determined that the state is legally bound to ensure prisoners receive sufficient sustenance for a “basic level of existence.” The justices expressed concerns that the current food provisions for prisoners might not meet the required legal standards, ordering the prison service to guarantee food supplies that meet the basic subsistence conditions as mandated by law.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, responsible for overseeing the prison system, previously boasted about reducing the security prisoners’ conditions to the minimum stipulated by Israeli law. He criticized the court’s ruling, emphasizing his commitment to maintaining the existing policy of providing prisoners with the bare minimum conditions required by law.
ACRI urged immediate implementation of the court’s verdict, condemning the prison service for transforming Israeli penitentiaries into sites of torture. They emphasized that starvation is unacceptable under any circumstances and called for humane treatment of all individuals, regardless of their actions.
