Palestinian prisoners face life-threatening conditions as blankets, winter clothing, and medicine are deliberately withheld.

Palestinian detainees in Zionist prisons are enduring harsh winter conditions as authorities systematically deny them essential items. According to the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, the administration’s actions transform cells into near-freezing environments, exposing prisoners to extreme cold without blankets, proper clothing, or medical support.

Thick concrete walls and metal bed frames exacerbate the cold, trapping moisture and allowing drafts to circulate constantly. Inmates are often forced to sleep on the bare floor or use torn cloth as makeshift bedding. Many suffer from hypothermia-like symptoms overnight, with the sickest detainees left entirely unprotected.

The Commission warned of a sharp increase in respiratory illnesses, persistent coughing, joint pain, and other cold-related ailments. These health threats, combined with prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures, suggest an impending humanitarian crisis inside the prisons.

Officials stressed that the current conditions are not accidental or due to infrastructure limitations. Instead, they represent a deliberate, systematic winter policy used as a tool of punishment and coercion against Palestinian prisoners, continuing a practice that has persisted for years.

The administration’s actions, the Commission noted, violate international humanitarian norms and place the full responsibility for potential casualties on the prison authorities. Observers have also pointed out that the effects of the cold are intensified in overcrowded cells, where ventilation systems are inadequate and prisoners have minimal personal space.

Calling on international human rights organizations and monitoring bodies, the Commission urged immediate intervention to halt these life-threatening practices. It emphasized that prisoners must be provided with basic protections, including blankets, winter clothing, medication, and sufficient access to medical care, to prevent further suffering or fatalities.(ILKHA)