§ The correspondence that was owed Addressed to the family, and to the Central Tracing Agency Mailbox

Card 01 of 10 · Geneva III · Article 70

Capture card

Capture card — Geneva III, Article 70. Not delivered.

The rule that requires it

Article 70 of Geneva Convention III — Capture cards. Retrieved verbatim, 2026-08-22.

Immediately upon capture, or not more than one week after arrival at a camp, even if it is a transit camp, likewise in case of sickness or transfer to hospital or another camp, every prisoner of war shall be enabled to write direct to his family, on the one hand, and to the Central Prisoners of War Agency provided for in Article 123 , on the other hand, a card similar, if possible, to the model annexed to the present Convention, informing his relatives of his capture, address and state of health. The said cards shall be forwarded as rapidly as possible and may not be delayed in any manner.

ICRC treaty text ↗ Open in the mailbox → Open on the board →

What the record shows instead

United States / Israel

Detainees have been held incommunicado, with families not told of the fact of detention and no effective independent access, obstructing the humanitarian functions the Convention reserves to the ICRC.

4 sources