العربية
HE
العربية
HE
On 17 November 2025, HaMoked and other organizations filed a petition with the High Court of Justice (HCJ) on behalf of seven West Bank residents, against the Israel Prison Service (IPS), the Minister of National Security, and the Military Commander of the West Bank. The petitioners called on the HCJ to revoke the ban on family visits for inmates classified as “security prisoners,” arguing that a general and vague claim of “security needs” is insufficient to justify the ongoing violation of the inmates’ fundamental right to family life, particularly following the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip
On January 7, 2023, the IPS declared an incarceration emergency, mandating a full ban on family visits for "security" inmates in Israeli prisons, which was later codified in an amendment to a temporary order. As its name suggests, this amendment was meant to provide an emergency solution for prison authorities following the outbreak of the war in Gaza, whereby regulations would be updated occasionally, according to developments in the security situation. Ever since then, more than two years after the war broke out, and despite the ceasefire, the ban on family visits remains in force. Another extension of the amendment to the temporary order, valid until July 31, 2026, was approved by the Knesset, leaving 9,243 "security" inmates, including minors, women and administrative detainees held without trial, completely cut off from their families.
In light of this reality, on January 26, 2024, HaMoked began sending repeated appeals to the IPS Commissioner, demanding the gradual return of family prison visits. In its appeals, HaMoked argued that considerations of human rights must be central to the conduct of state authorities, even, and especially, in a state of emergency. This is particularly crucial in emergencies like this one, with seemingly no end in sight. The IPS rejected the appeals, claiming to have security assessments indicating a concrete danger in allowing family visits for "security" inmates.
On October 25, 2025, following the ceasefire, HaMoked appealed to the IPS Commissioner again, requesting a renewal of family visits. In its communication, HaMoked argued that the substantial change in the security situation justifies a gradual resumption of family visits after two long years of near-complete isolation from the outside world.
When the IPS failed to provide a response, HaMoked filed another petition with the HCJ on November 18, 2025, seeking the revocation of the policy barring family visits, due to the lack of a clear and substantiated justification to extend it. The petition maintained that the conduct of the IPS breaches the basic right to family life, which lies at the heart of the Israeli legal system. It further claimed that the ban amounts to a collective punishment imposed on the inmates' relatives, who are denied the right to see their loved ones through no fault of their own.
HaMoked concluded the petition by emphasizing that extending the ban on family visits “under the guise of a never-ending emergency” deprives tens of thousands of inmates and their family members of their basic rights, thereby rendering meaningless the state's obligation to protect the rights of its military subjects and those incarcerated in its territory. This aggravation joins a slew of steps put in place to severely degrade inmates’ living conditions since the outbreak of the war, while many of them were detained before 7 October 7, 2023.
* On November 25, 2025, the HCJ dismissed HaMoked's petition, holding that it failed to exhaust administrative remedies with the IPS. In its decision, the HCJ noted that Hamoked had not waited a sufficient period of time after sending its most recent letter to the IPS.
On the same day, the legal adviser to the IPS sent a response to Hamoked, saying that the IPS maintained its position that the ban on family visits should not be lifted. The legal adviser emphasized that the security risk in this matter persisted, citing vague claims regarding the inmates’ "uncertainty" as to their release. HaMoked intends to file another HCJ petition against the continued policy of denying family visits, which the IPS continues to enforce as of the time of writing.
On January 15, 2026, the IPS sent a letter to HaMoked reiterating its refusal to allow family visits, claiming that the ceasefire has not led to any significant change in the security situation.
