Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has officially barred the International Committee of the Red Cross from visiting Palestinians held under Israel’s so-called “unlawful combatants” law, a legal category that does not exist under international law and allows indefinite detention without charge, trial or oversight.

Katz claimed in a decree that allowing ICRC access would “seriously harm national security”, effectively ensuring that Palestinian detainees held under this exceptional measure remain entirely hidden from international monitoring.