Israeli Court Rules on Palestinian Prisoners' Food Standards

Mon Oct 20 2025 06:16:01 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Israel's Supreme Court mandates improved nutritional standards for Palestinian prisoners amid ongoing hostilities in Gaza and demands for ceasefire negotiations.

In a significant ruling, Israel's Supreme Court deemed that the state is failing to provide adequate food for Palestinian prisoners. Judge directives stressed the government's legal obligation to ensure sufficient nutrition. This decision coincides with heightened tensions following the Gaza conflict and stalled ceasefire discussions. Meanwhile, international reactions continue as leaders call for negotiations and humane treatment for detainees.

Israel's Supreme Court has ruled that the state is failing to provide adequate food to Palestinian prisoners, and must take steps to improve their nutrition.

The three-judge bench said on Sunday that the government was legally obliged to provide prisoners with enough nutrition to ensure a basic level of existence.

Thousands of Palestinians have been held in Israeli jails for years, including over terror charges - and thousands more have been detained since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.

Talks for a ceasefire have stalled but on Sunday night, US President Donald Trump issued a last warning to Hamas, urging them to accept a deal to release Israeli hostages from Gaza.

On a post on Truth Social, he said that Israel had accepted his terms, and it was time for Hamas to accept them as well.

The president wrote that this is my last warning, there will not be another one! Hamas responded in a statement saying it was ready to immediately sit at the negotiating table following some ideas from the American side aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement.

Trump also told reporters that there would be a deal on Gaza very soon and he thought that all the hostages would be returned, dead or alive.

Of the 48 hostages still being held in Gaza, as many as 20 are believed to be alive.

Israel has yet to formally respond to a deal that would see the release of some hostages, but has previously demanded the return of all the hostages in any agreement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists total victory over Hamas will bring the hostages home.

Pressure has been growing on Netanyahu in Israel, where thousands took to the streets on Saturday to call for an end to the war in Gaza and urge the prime minister to agree to a deal to free the remaining hostages.

Despite international calls for Israel to halt its offensive in Gaza, Netanyahu has said the IDF will intensify operations in and around Gaza City.

Reports from health officials in Gaza stated that at least 87 people had been killed over the last 24 hours.

Israel has also refused to grant the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access to Palestinian detainees.

Israel launched a massive retaliation campaign resulting in significant casualties among Palestinians, according to health ministry figures that have been deemed reliable by the UN, despite Israeli disputes over these claims.

Human rights groups have been vocal about prison conditions and the treatment of detainees, leading to petitions that prompted the recent court ruling.

Reacting to the court's decision, Israel's Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir criticized the ruling on social media, highlighting the lack of legal protection for Israeli hostages while he vowed to enforce minimum legal conditions for imprisoned terrorists.