Ben-Gvir Continues to Isolate Prisoners and Conceal Occupation Crimes by Banning Family Visits

Palestinian prisoners' institutions condemned the renewal by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of the decision to ban family visits to prisoners in occupation prisons, considering it part of a systematic policy to isolate prisoners and cover up the crimes and violations they face inside prisons. Hassan Abd Rabbo, a specialist and researcher in prisoners' affairs, said that renewing the ban on visits comes within the framework of the occupation's targeting of everything related to prisoners' rights and lives, foremost among them the rights guaranteed by international law. Abd Rabbo explained that since October 2023, the occupation has worked to declare a state of emergency under the pretext of the ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip, but the conditions of prisoners inside prisons continued to deteriorate amid escalating violations against them. He added that the ban on visits has deprived prisoners' families of reassurance about their children, plunging them into constant anxiety over their lives and health, especially given the starvation, assaults, and ongoing violations they face. Meanwhile, Riyad al-Ashkar, director of the Palestine Center for Prisoners Studies, warned of the occupation's escalation of crimes against prisoners, calling on human rights and humanitarian institutions to intervene urgently to stop the violations. Al-Ashkar said that Ben-Gvir continues to escalate his aggression against prisoners, especially with the Knesset elections approaching, in an attempt to woo voters, noting that the decision to ban family visits has been ongoing since October 2023. He explained that Ben-Gvir's policies against prisoners have resulted in the deaths of 90 identified prisoners, along with dozens of other prisoners of unknown fate. He pointed out that the ban on visits is part of a series of punitive measures, including confiscation of clothes, suspension of prisoners' services, reduction of yard time, and denial of hot water, in addition to starvation, isolation, and medical neglect. Al-Ashkar noted that the occupation is pushing towards enacting a law to execute prisoners, seeking to turn punitive measures against them into permanent policies and legislation. The prisoners' institutions affirmed that the renewal of the decision to ban family visits came shortly after the decision of the so-called 'Israeli Supreme Court,' which deemed the continued prevention of the International Committee of the Red Cross from visiting prisoners as illegal. They explained that the decision has not been reflected in the reality of prisoners, as the occupation authorities continued to prevent the ICRC from visiting, along with renewing the ban on family visits. The prisoners' institutions stressed that these measures confirm the occupation's continuation of its policy of isolating prisoners from the outside world, allowing crimes and violations against them to continue away from oversight and accountability. They added that entrenching the policy of prevention and isolation aims to provide a closed environment inside prisons, giving the occupation authorities more room to continue torture, starvation, and medical neglect, in the absence of effective international oversight.