New Delhi: The Red Ribbons Campaign has called on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to use all available humanitarian means within its mandate to secure immediate, regular and meaningful access to Palestinian detainees and prisoners held in Israeli custody. The campaign says independent humanitarian access is essential to safeguard the rights, dignity and welfare of people deprived of their liberty.
In a detailed letter addressed to the ICRC President and Director-General, the campaign said its appeal is motivated by the principles of human dignity, transparency and the protection of detainees. It stressed that it is not asking the ICRC to depart from its core principles of neutrality, independence or confidential humanitarian dialogue. Instead, it urged the organization to act with greater urgency in seeking practical access to Palestinian detainees.
According to the letter, the ICRC has publicly stated that it has been unable to visit Palestinian detainees in Israeli places of detention since 7 October 2023. The organization has repeatedly called for information on detainees’ whereabouts, access to those in custody, humane treatment and the restoration of family contact, while reaffirming its readiness to resume regular detention visits.
The campaign also referred to a ruling by the Supreme Court of Israel on 3 June 2026, which it said found that the blanket ban on ICRC visits to Palestinian detainees and prisoners lacked an adequate legal basis and therefore had to be revoked. The campaign argued that the court’s decision must now be implemented in practice, stating that acknowledging the ruling without restoring actual access would fail to achieve its purpose.
The letter further states that the campaign and its supporters have received reports and testimonies raising serious humanitarian concerns about the treatment of detainees, their health, detention conditions, family contact and the whereabouts of individuals in custody. However, it also makes clear that these reports are not findings of the ICRC or of any court, and therefore require independent, confidential humanitarian verification.
Referring to international humanitarian law, the campaign noted that on 19 July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in its advisory opinion, stated that Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful. The letter acknowledges that the advisory opinion does not determine every individual detention case but says it reinforces the need for strict compliance with the protective rules of international humanitarian law.
The campaign also cited Article 143 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and Rule 124 of the ICRC’s study on customary international humanitarian law, arguing that the ICRC should be granted regular access to detainees in order to assess detention conditions and help restore contact between detainees and their families.
The letter highlights the ICRC’s five established requirements for credible detention visits. These include access to all relevant detainees, access to all places of detention, permission to conduct repeat visits whenever necessary, private interviews with detainees without witnesses and access to a complete detainee list or authority to compile one. According to the campaign, limited access to selected facilities, selected detainees or monitored interviews cannot be considered a substitute for genuine humanitarian monitoring.
The Red Ribbons Campaign has urged the ICRC to engage urgently with the relevant Israeli authorities to ensure practical implementation of the Supreme Court’s ruling, seek full access that meets all five of its established criteria, obtain accurate information regarding detainees’ identities, legal status, health and whereabouts, and continue efforts to restore family contact wherever possible.
It has also requested that the ICRC independently and confidentially assess reports concerning alleged ill-treatment, medical concerns, inadequate food and hygiene, isolation, overcrowding and restrictions on communication, without prejudging any allegations before they have been properly verified.
The campaign has further asked the ICRC to provide a written response within 14 days, confirming, as far as its confidential humanitarian engagement allows, whether meaningful access meeting its established standards has been restored or remains incomplete.
The letter concludes by stating that regular and independent detention visits are not merely symbolic but serve as an important safeguard against isolation, ill-treatment, concealment of detainees’ whereabouts and deterioration in their physical or mental health. It adds that if meaningful humanitarian access is not restored, the signatories reserve the right to raise the matter with relevant United Nations human rights mechanisms, diplomatic representatives and other international stakeholders. However, the campaign emphasizes that its immediate objective is to secure practical humanitarian access and protection for Palestinian detainees, rather than public confrontation.