A significant international advocacy movement has been initiated, calling for the immediate liberation of Palestinian detainees incarcerated by Israeli authorities. This mobilization follows recent United Nations criticism of proposed Israeli laws that would permit capital punishment for Palestinian prisoners through hanging.
The Red Ribbons Campaign, originating in London two months prior, has now evolved into a worldwide endeavor. Activists have strategically placed red ribbons and portraits of imprisoned individuals in prominent public areas to maintain visibility for their cause. The campaign asserts that Israeli detention facilities currently hold approximately 9,000 Palestinians under unlawful circumstances, including more than 400 minors and at least 150 healthcare professionals from Gaza and the West Bank.
This development occurs alongside growing international concern regarding newly proposed Israeli legislation that would substantially expand prison authorities’ powers. These expanded capabilities would include authorization to prolong detention periods, block the release of prisoners who have completed their sentences, and implement death penalty provisions that would disproportionately affect Palestinian detainees.
Adnan Hmidan, the campaign’s founder, characterized the imprisoned Palestinians as ‘the real hostages’ in this conflict. He stated, ‘The situation within Israeli prisons has transcended isolated incidents of abuse and evolved into a comprehensive system of humiliation and methodical torture that is now being legalized through explicitly discriminatory laws.’
Palestinian rights organizations have consistently documented allegations of systematic torture, physical and sexual violence, extended solitary confinement, and deliberate medical negligence within Israeli detention facilities. These reports have intensified since the beginning of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, with particular concerns regarding overcrowding, starvation-level food provisions, and custodial deaths among Gazan detainees.
The campaign specifically highlighted the case of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a pediatrician apprehended by Israeli forces during a December 2024 raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital. Despite his medical status, Dr. Safiya has been detained without formal charges under suspicion of ‘potential involvement in terrorist activity.’ Legal representatives report he has lost over thirty percent of his body weight while incarcerated at Ofer prison, endured severe beatings, and been systematically denied medical attention.
Approximately 3,300 Palestinians remain in administrative detention—imprisonment without charge or trial based on undisclosed evidence—as documented by HaMoked, an Israeli human rights organization. This practice has been widely condemned by international human rights groups as an instrument of collective punishment.
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights recently urged Israel to abandon its proposed death penalty legislation, noting the ‘unacceptable risk of executing innocent people’ within a system already criticized for its discriminatory treatment of Palestinians. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk emphasized that the proposal ‘raises profound human dignity concerns’ and appears ‘exclusively applicable to Palestinians.’
Hmidan concluded that the campaign aims to ‘shatter international silence, mobilize global public opinion, and pressure relevant institutions’ to address Israel’s detention practices, which he described as continuing despite ‘genocide in Gaza, annexation efforts in the West Bank, and escalating violations across occupied Palestinian territories.’