In a rare decision in the midst of the ongoing war, the Supreme Court of Israel ruled on Sunday that the government fails to ensure that it provides sufficient food to Palestinian prisoners For security reasons, thereby violating the minimum legal requirements for human living.

This decision comes as Israel continues mass arrests in the Gaza Strip, arresting thousands of people with suspicions of interconnection with the Hamas. Many of these prisoners have been released without charges after months of detention.

Complaints about torture and starvation

Human Rights Organizations have recorded extensive incidents of abuse at detention centers, such as inadequate feeding, lack of medical care, unhealthy conditions and physical violence. In March, a 17 -year -old Palestinian died in an Israeli prison, with a forensic report reporting hunger as a possible cause of death.

The case reached the Supreme Court following an appeal by the Union for Individual Rights in Israel (ACRI) and Gisha. The organizations argued that since the start of the war in Gaza, the Israeli government has implemented a new policy that has drastically limited the feeding of prisoners, leading to poor nutrition and starvation.

The court, with a majority of 2 to 1, ruled that the state has a legal obligation to guarantee prisoners “sufficient food for a basic level of living”. The judges found “indications” that the present supply of food does not meet the legally minimal, and ordered the Prison Service to take immediate action.

The Minister of National Security, Ithamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the penitentiary system and belongs to the far-right, has been heard against the ruling, stating that the Supreme Court “defends Hamas’ terrorists” while the Israeli hostages have no support. He reiterated that the policy of providing “absolutely minimal conditions” to prisoners will continue.

ACRI, for its part, called for the immediate implementation of the decision, writing in a post on X: “The penitentiary system has turned prisons into torture camps. A state does not starve people – no one should starve, whatever it has done. “