Israel's Supreme Court ruled on Sunday that the state is failing to provide adequate food to Palestinian prisoners and must take steps to improve their nutrition, saying authorities are legally obliged to ensure inmates have enough to maintain "a basic level of existence." The three-judge bench issued the decision after hearing a petition from human rights groups alleging prison food policies had led to malnutrition and starvation.
Thousands of Palestinians are held in Israeli jails, including long-term detainees charged with terrorism-related offenses, and thousands more have been detained since the war in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023. The court also noted that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been denied access to Palestinian detainees since the Hamas attack that month.
The petition was brought by Israeli rights groups including the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), which argued that altered food policies and reduced rations were causing prisoners to suffer hunger and, in some cases, symptoms consistent with malnutrition. ACRI said on social media after the verdict that the ruling should be implemented immediately.
Palestinian detainees released back to Gaza in recent months have told journalists they were subjected to mistreatment and, in some cases, torture while in Israeli military and prison custody. Human rights organizations in Israel and abroad have repeatedly criticised detention conditions and have documented cases they say amount to cruel treatment.
Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sharply criticised the court's ruling on the social platform X, saying Israeli hostages in Gaza had no Supreme Court to protect them and that he would continue to enforce what he described as the "minimum conditions required by law" on "imprisoned terrorists." The government has not publicly outlined immediate measures to change food provision practices following the decision.
The ruling comes amid a broader, intensified Israeli military campaign in Gaza and stalled ceasefire negotiations. On Sunday night U.S. President Donald Trump issued what he called a "last warning" to Hamas on the social platform Truth Social, urging the group to accept terms he said Israel had accepted for the release of Israeli hostages. Hamas said in a statement it was ready to "immediately sit at the negotiating table" after seeing "some ideas from the American side aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement." Trump told reporters he expected a deal on Gaza "very soon" and said he thought all the hostages would be returned, "dead or alive." Reports indicate 48 hostages remain held in Gaza, with as many as 20 believed to be alive.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that a full military victory over Hamas is necessary to secure the return of all hostages. Pressure on Netanyahu has intensified at home: thousands of demonstrators took to the streets on Saturday to call for an end to the offensive and to urge the government to accept a deal to free the remaining hostages.
Israeli forces have stepped up operations in and around Gaza City over the weekend. The Israeli Defence Forces said they struck the Al-Roya building on Sunday, alleging it housed Hamas intelligence equipment and that explosive devices had been placed nearby. The strike followed the destruction of the Sussi Tower on Saturday and the Mushtaha Tower on Friday. Palestinian authorities denied the military's claims that the high-rise buildings were being used by Hamas and said the allegations were being used to justify attacks on civilians. Evacuation warnings were issued to residents and to people sheltering in nearby tents ahead of the strikes.
Health officials in Gaza reported at least 87 deaths over the previous 24 hours. The Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza says more than 64,300 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli operations since Oct. 7, figures the United Nations has said it considers reliable; Israel disputes the tally. The fighting has also produced widespread humanitarian concerns, including shortages of food, fuel and medical supplies.
Legal and rights groups say the Supreme Court decision increases scrutiny on detention conditions during wartime. The order requires state authorities to take concrete steps to ensure detainees receive adequate nutrition, but it does not specify the measures to be adopted or immediately resolve longer-standing disputes over access and treatment. Implementation and oversight of the ruling are likely to become a point of contention between rights groups, the judiciary and political leaders as the conflict continues.