Israel’s Supreme Court orders end to food deprivation for Palestinian detainees

In a rare wartime ruling, Israel’s Supreme Court on Sunday ordered the government to provide adequate food to Palestinian detainees, stating that current conditions fall below basic standards of human survival.

The three-judge panel unanimously ruled that detainees must receive three daily meals to meet a "basic level of existence". In a separate 2-1 decision, the court also sided with rights groups — the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and Gisha — who argued that food restrictions in prisons were part of a systemic policy that had resulted in malnutrition and starvation.

“We are not speaking here of comfortable living or luxury, but of the basic conditions of survival as required by law,” the court said. “Let us not share in the ways of our worst enemies.”

The decision comes amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel. Since then, Israel has detained large numbers of Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, many of whom were later released without charge after months in detention under reported conditions of overcrowding, inadequate food, and poor medical care.

At least 61 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli custody since the war began, according to Palestinian officials — including a 17-year-old boy in March whose death was reportedly linked to starvation.

The ruling challenges the approach of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has openly advocated for harsh treatment of Palestinian detainees. On Sunday, Ben-Gvir condemned the court’s decision, accusing the judges of defending Hamas and vowing to continue providing only “the most minimal conditions stipulated by law.”

Rights group ACRI urged the immediate implementation of the court's order, stating on social media: “A state must not starve people. People must not starve people — no matter what they have done.”

SR