Contrasting Conditions: Investigating the Nourishment Disparity Between Hamas Hostages and Palestinian Prisoners in Israel

Israel's former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he had limited rations to Palestinian prisoners, but did so in accordance with the law.

ISRAEL - Following my latest report on the release of Hamas hostages, I noticed (and received comments from readers) that the hostages held by Hamas appeared to be considerably better nourished than Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Intrigued by this observation, I decided to investigate further to understand the reasons behind this disparity. Important notes have been added for context.

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Before we delve into the details of the situation, it's crucial to understand the context. The hostages being held by Hamas are innocent civilians, whereas the prisoners held by Israel include both convicted criminals serving long or life sentences and individuals detained on suspicion of militant activity. Notably, some of these prisoners have been held without trial since the October 7th attack.

I strive to present the facts objectively, avoiding taking sides. Hostages held by Hamas were also frequently kept in locations where attacks by the Israeli military were likely to occur, such as the tunnel systems, and were also reported to have been severely malnutritioned and confined in cages at times, losing over 30 lbs.

According to a report in July of last year by the United Nations Human Rights Office, Israel had been holding 9,400 security detainees as of the end of June 2024, some of whom have been held secretly without access to lawyers.

Of those held, there were men, women, children, journalists, and human rights defenders.

It's also important to note, that any one of these groups of people is capable of taking part in terrorist activity, regardless of their status or job title.

Israel has accused UNRWA workers of employing Hamas militants to operate terrorist activities out of schools and civilian infrastructure.

UNRWA has repeatedly denied the accusations by the Israeli military. Israel has since cut ties with the organization completely.

Israel's Former Security Minister Said He Had Ordered Reduction In Food Rations In Accordance To The Law As Deterrent Measure

In June of last year, Israel's former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir explained that he had ordered a reduction in food rations to Palestinian prisoners as a "deterrent" measure in response to a request for clarification by the Israeli Supreme Court.

“The Palestinian detainees will receive the minimum rights and the minimum food, and I will ensure that this policy is implemented,” the Security Minister said.

He added, “This policy is to reduce the food ration for security prisoners to the minimum food and calorie ration required by law, and that security prisoners must receive a smaller ration than criminal prisoners.”

He said that after the war began in October of 2023, "In this context, we decided to stop purchases from canteens and to change the method of purchasing and providing food to security prisoners.”

His reasoning was, that this deterrent would keep prisoners from carrying out "terrorist acts" while they were imprisoned.

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