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.
Human rights groups in Israel have long criticised prison conditions, and brought a petition last year alleging that changed food policies were causing prisoners to suffer malnutrition and starvation.
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The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), one of the groups that brought the petition, said the ruling represented a “crucial victory” for the rule of law and human dignity.
Noa Sattath, ACRI’s executive director, said: “The Supreme Court has unequivocally rejected Minister Ben-Gvir’s systematic starvation policy, affirming that even in wartime, Israel must uphold basic human rights standards.
“While this decision marks significant progress, our work is far from over. ACRI will continue to monitor implementation closely and ensure that all prisoners receive the dignified treatment mandated by law.”
Following a series of testimonies from security prisoners and their lawyers and statements by the National Security Minister and Israel Prison Service (IPS) representatives, ACRI and Gisha petitioned the Supreme Court on April 4 last year, demanding that security prisoners be provided with food in quantity and composition appropriate for maintaining their health and identical to that provided to other prisoners.
Testimonies from security prisoners and detainees attached to the petition revealed that since October 7, 2023, the IPS has been implementing a starvation policy toward Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Released prisoners testified that they suffered from extreme and constant hunger and very poor food quality.
Among the testimonies brought in the petition were those of a diabetic prisoner who ate toothpaste to raise his blood sugar levels, and prisoners who lost dozens of kilograms in recent months.
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The petition argued that the food reduction policy amounts to starvation and detention under torture conditions, and contradicts Israeli law and international law.
It also argued it violates the constitutional rights of security prisoners to dignity and health, constitutes collective punishment policy, and violates the Israel Prison Service’s obligation to provide appropriate detention conditions for those in its custody.
The court ruling stated: “To remove any doubt, it should be emphasized that the provision of food of one type or another is not a means of punishment and considerations unrelated to the matter should not be involved in formulating the menu.
“The provisions of the law in this context are therefore quite clear, and according to their plain language, every prisoner must be provided with food in the quantity and composition appropriate for maintaining their health. That and nothing more.”
Israel’s Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir lashed out at Sunday’s ruling on ‘X’, writing that Israeli hostages in Gaza had no Supreme Court to protect them and he would continue to enforce the “minimum conditions required by law” on “imprisoned terrorists”.
Despite international calls for Israel to halt its offensive in Gaza, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the IDF will intensify operations in and around Gaza City.
Reports from health officials in Gaza said that at least 87 people had been killed over the last 24 hours.
As Israel intensified its assault over the weekend, the IDF struck another high-rise building in Gaza City on Sunday.
The Al-Roya Building was struck by an air raid on Sunday, the third multi-storey building in Gaza City to be targeted by the Israeli military in as many days.
The Sussi Tower was destroyed on Saturday, and the Mushtaha Tower on Friday.
