While Israel is not even sure that kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit is still alive, and has been forced to rely on the "goodwill" of Hamas-affiliated terrorists to ensure his survival - because no Israeli or neutral third-party representative has ever been permitted to visit him - relatives and friends of terrorists in Israeli prisons are given more or less free access to visit their loved ones, no matter how heinous their crime was. In February, 16,372 Palestinian Authority Arabs travelled to 23 Israeli places of detention and visited 7,012 relatives in detention, according to the February report of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). In addition, the ICRC enabled 1,410 messages to be exchanged between detainees and their relatives.

The ICRC also provided 159 food parcels to families in the PA. Other ICRC assistance included materials such as greenhouse items, professional kits, livestock or material for the rehabilitation of boats.

The group has never given Israel or Israelis any assistance whatsoever.