Humanitarian groups call for Red Cross to have unfettered access to all detainees and hostages in Holy Land

23 year-old Anglican student Layan Nasir has been been detained without charge since 7 April. Neither her parish priest, family or lawyer has been allowed to visit or speak with her.

Source: CMEP

Churches for Middle East Peace, (CMEP) Christian Aid and Amos Trust are among 31 leading humanitarian groups calling on all UN Member States to take urgent steps to protect people deprived of their liberty across the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel. This includes demanding that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is granted immediate and unfettered access to all detainees and hostages, to the full extent required by international humanitarian law. They demand that full access is also granted for independent human rights monitors, legal counsel, and family members.

The report notes the deplorable conditions of around 10,000 Palestinian detainees, including at least 650 children from the West Bank alone. The report notes the wide spread systematic abuse and ill-treatment suffered by Palestinians, including children, such as torture, sexual abuse, and at least 53 cases of death while in Israeli custody.

The report records the horrid conditions of the Israeli hostages in Gaza including two children. These conditions include beatings, lack of access to food and water, and sexual abuse.

The ICRC must be able to visit all of those impacted by detention and abduction in order to ensure that their human rights are upheld. "We emphasize that all Palestinian children arbitrarily detained and the remaining hostages in Gaza must be released immediately and unconditionally, and the abusive Israeli military detention system must end. Until this happens, Member States must do everything in their power to protect people deprived of their liberty. "

View the full report and signatories HERE