For more than two years, Palestinian prisoners have been denied family visits, a measure that has compounded the anguish of detention and inflicted deep psychological scars on both detainees and their loved ones. Even brief encounters, lasting under an hour and often held behind glass, had offered a fragile link to life outside the prison walls. With such visits halted, prisoners have been left entirely disconnected, while families are forced to wait in silence, unable to confirm the wellbeing of their children, spouses, or parents.

The human toll of this isolation is starkly illustrated by former prisoner Ahmad Abu Suleiman from Hebron, who spent 14 months in administrative detention. During this period, his wife was pregnant and facing severe health complications, yet Ahmad had no way of learning whether she or their child was safe. His only solace came through dreams, which he and fellow prisoners interpreted as fragments of reality. When he finally received confirmation of his child’s birth, the brief visit felt like a taste of freedom after months of anxiety. Stories like Ahmad’s are repeated across prisons, where the ban on visits has left children, spouses, and parents living in constant fear and uncertainty.

The consequences of this enforced isolation extend far beyond individual prisoners. Experts note that depriving detainees of contact with family constitutes a form of systematic psychological torture, affecting concentration, mental health, and physical wellbeing. Families live in relentless tension, children are deprived of reassurance, and prisoners often emerge from detention with lasting trauma. Observers describe this as a silent, ongoing strategy to sever prisoners from the outside world, leaving them vulnerable to emotional suffering and compounding the already devastating effects of the genocidal war.