ICSPR The Rights of Prisoners and Martyrs Are a Legal, Humanitarian, and National Obligation

Date: 22 December 2025

Press Statement

The Rights of Prisoners and Martyrs Are a Legal, Humanitarian, and National Obligation

The International Commission to Support Palestinian People’s Rights is following with deep concern the recent developments related to the social protection system and the rights of prisoners and the families of martyrs and the wounded, particularly what was stated in the announcement issued by the Palestinian National Institution for Economic Empowerment in the context of responding to statements by the occupation government. This announcement contained approaches that undermine the very essence of these established rights and remove them from their national and legal context, in addition to initiating the suspension of salaries and financial allowances.

ICSPR affirms that the policies being pursued are based on unlawful and unjust decisions and constitute a denial of the sacrifices made by groups who have paid the highest price for the freedom and dignity of our people. These policies also represent a blatant violation of the Palestinian Basic Law and of national laws and regulations that have safeguarded the rights of prisoners and the families of martyrs and the wounded, and affirmed their moral and symbolic status as icons of the national struggle.

ICSPR believes that the continuation of this course poses a direct threat to the national, humanitarian, and legal rights of prisoners and the families of martyrs and the wounded, and recalls the warnings it issued in its statement dated 11 February 2025, emphasizing that the decision to halt allowances carries extremely serious repercussions for Palestinian society and for the rights of prisoners and the families of martyrs and the wounded.

ICSPR stresses that the allowances for prisoners, martyrs, and the wounded are a fixed national and legal right and must not be subjected to bargaining, political blackmail, or the conditions imposed by the occupation. It rejects turning this file into a social or relief pathway, or dealing with its beneficiaries as “social cases,” whether through the Economic Empowerment Institution or any other body, considering this a flagrant breach of the law that serves the occupation’s narrative aimed at criminalizing the Palestinian struggle.

ICSPR emphasizes that these policies exacerbate the suffering of thousands of families of martyrs and the wounded, deepen national division, and constitute an overt response to external dictates, at a time when prisoners inside Israeli prisons are subjected to the most brutal practices targeting their lives and human dignity.

ICSPR underscores the necessity of preserving national institutions, as well as the laws, regulations, and structures that have historically organized the rights of prisoners and the families of martyrs and the wounded, as an embodiment of a comprehensive national commitment. It warns against any infringement on their role or the hollowing out of their substance, due to the serious consequences this would have for the national fabric, public trust, and the moral status of these groups.

While reaffirming its support for all national efforts to strengthen unity and rebuild the institutions of the Palestinian political system on democratic foundations—including support for governance, transparency, and institutional reform—ICSPR stresses that any genuine reform must stem from the national interest and internal consensus, not from external political or financial conditions that undermine the essence of the Palestinian cause or detract from the dignity of the fighters and their families. It further believes that the most appropriate option is to open a comprehensive national dialogue involving political forces, human rights institutions, and representatives of prisoners and the families of martyrs and the wounded, in order to reach a unified national formula that preserves their moral status and guarantees their financial rights as a national and legal entitlement that must not be compromised.

Accordingly, the International Commission to Support Palestinian People’s Rights (ICSPR) calls on the Palestinian Authority to:

1. Immediately reverse the decision to suspend the allowances of prisoners and the families of martyrs and the wounded.

2. Restore the status of the Martyrs and Wounded Families Care Institution and the Law on the Care of Prisoners and Released Detainees, as original national references that are not subject to bargaining or circumvention.

3. Ensure full compliance with national and legal responsibilities toward these groups, in a manner that preserves their dignity, rights, and moral status.