For the First Time Since October 7: Red Cross Set to Resume Visits to Security Prisoners

Israel’s security establishment began preparations today (Monday) to resume visits by Red Cross representatives to terrorists held in security prisons. Under the current plan, the move is expected to take place this week, and unless there is a last-minute change, the visits will begin as early as this Wednesday.

Red Cross representatives have already been instructed to come to Israel ahead of the resumption of the visits. This is expected to end a lengthy period during which they were barred from entering prisons to visit security prisoners, following decisions made since the outbreak of the war.

In October 2025, Defense Minister Israel Katz signed an order banning visits by Red Cross representatives to prisons, citing concerns of harm to national security. The decision was based on information the Shin Bet provided to the Defense Ministry, according to which Red Cross personnel were passing information to terrorists held in prisons.

But at the beginning of June, the issue took a turn. The Supreme Court unanimously accepted a petition against the sweeping policy that barred visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross to security prisoners held in Israel Prison Service and IDF facilities, as well as against the ban on providing information about them. In its ruling, the court determined that the state had presented no legal basis whatsoever for the decisions made on the matter. Now, after efforts to delay the move did not come to fruition, the security establishment is preparing to resume the visits in practice.