Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled that the state is failing to provide sufficient nutrition to Palestinian prisoners and must take immediate steps to improve their conditions.
A three-judge bench stated on Sunday that the government is legally obligated to ensure prisoners receive enough food to maintain “a basic level of existence.” Thousands of Palestinians have been held in Israeli jails for years, including those charged with terror offenses, and many more have been detained since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.
Meanwhile, international efforts to negotiate a ceasefire remain stalled. On Sunday, former US President Donald Trump issued a “last warning” to Hamas, urging the group to accept a deal for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Trump posted on Truth Social that Israel had agreed to his terms and called on Hamas to do the same, adding, “This is my last warning, there will not be another one!”
Hamas responded that it is ready to “immediately sit at the negotiating table” following proposals from the US aimed at reaching a ceasefire. Trump also told reporters he expects a deal “very soon” and that all hostages would be returned, whether dead or alive. Of the 48 hostages currently held in Gaza, up to 20 are believed to be alive.
Israel has yet to formally respond to any deal and has insisted that all hostages must be returned in full. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that total victory over Hamas is necessary to secure the hostages’ release.
Domestically, pressure on Netanyahu is mounting. Thousands of Israelis protested on Saturday, calling for an end to the war in Gaza and urging the prime minister to secure a deal to free the remaining hostages. Despite international appeals, Netanyahu has insisted that the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) will continue operations in and around Gaza City. Reports indicate that at least 87 Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours amid ongoing airstrikes.
Israel has also denied the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access to Palestinian detainees since the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, which left approximately 1,200 people dead. In retaliation, Israel has launched an extensive military campaign that the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reports has killed at least 64,368 Palestinians, figures that the UN considers reliable, although Israel disputes them.
Human rights groups in Israel have long criticized prison conditions. Last year, a petition argued that changes to prison food policies were causing malnutrition and starvation among Palestinian detainees. Following Sunday’s ruling, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) called on the government to implement the court’s decision immediately.
Israel’s Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, condemned the ruling, stating on X that Israeli hostages in Gaza have no Supreme Court protection and that the state would continue enforcing “the minimum conditions required by law” for “imprisoned terrorists.”
Meanwhile, the IDF continued its air campaign in Gaza City, targeting the Al-Roya Building on Sunday. This was the third high-rise strike in three days, following the destruction of the Sussi Tower on Saturday and the Mushtaha Tower on Friday. Israeli officials claimed the buildings were used by Hamas for intelligence gathering and housed explosive devices, although the Palestinian interior ministry denied the allegations, calling them “false and baseless” and accusing Israel of using the claims to justify attacks on civilians.
