Harsh winter conditions worsen plight of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails
Ramallah (Quds News Network) – Qaddura Fares, the head of the Palestinian Prisoners Affairs Authority, said today the current winter season has become the harshest for Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails throughout the history of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement.
Fares emphasized the severe impact of the retaliatory measures imposed on the prisoners by the Israeli occupation authorities, which have been enforced since October 7 of the previous year.
According to Fares, the cold weather has taken a toll on the bodies of male and female prisoners, leading to the widespread occurrence of seasonal illnesses among them.
This situation coincided with the confiscation of electrical appliances, heating devices, clothing, and blankets by Israeli jailors. Additionally, there has been a reduction in the quantity and quality of food to a minimum, resulting in the deterioration of their health. Many detainees are now suffering from influenza, as well as constant pains in bones, joints, and the stomach.
Fares stated that with the plummeting temperatures, the weather conditions have turned into a harsh and punitive tool. The prisoners find themselves isolated in their cells, wearing only a single outfit and provided with very light mattresses and blankets that offer little effectiveness against the freezing cold.
This has turned them into victims of this winter, he added, marked by significantly lower temperatures. Notably, the rooms and cells have openings that allow the cold and rainwater to easily penetrate.
Expressing his frustration, Fares criticized the silence of international human rights institutions, accusing them of turning a blind eye to the Israeli occupation’s crimes against detainees without taking any action to save or even assess their conditions.
