When determining humanitarian priorities, factors such as health status, age, gender, and other vulnerabilities are naturally taken into account.

However, there is another factor: time.

Years of unlawful detention mean years of:

• isolation from family;

• uncertainty;

• torture and ill-treatment;

• deterioration of physical and mental health;

• restricted access to medical care;

• loss of contact with the outside world.

With each passing year, these risks compound.

For this reason, the duration of unlawful detention must be a priority humanitarian criterion when working toward the return of civilians.

The criterion of duration should be applied alongside health status, age, gender, and other factors of vulnerability.