As a tide of freezing cold has overwhelmed the Middle East Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli occupation dungeons have been made to endure calamitous conditions.
Affidavits by prisoners and ex-prisoners provided shocking evidence about the endless suffering Palestinian detainees have been going through in Israeli prisons with the advent of winter season owing to the lack of winter garments mattresses and heating kit.
Speaking with a PIC news correspondent ex-prisoner Suhaib Abu Thabet who was released last week from the Israeli Megiddo lock-up said prisoners have been doing their best to share winter clothes and blankets in a move aiming to tone down the calamitous conditions.
According to Abu Thabet Israeli prison authorities in Palestinian territories occupied in 1948 particularly in Negev desert jail continue to prevent prisoners from their right to have access to heating material.
Ex-prisoner Ghanem Sawalma also said prisoners in Gilboa jail have been deeply concerned about their fate. Last winter heavy rain showers flooded prison sections resulting in material damage. Several prisoners also caught life-threatening diseases.
The family of the Palestinian detainee Mohamed Marshoud said the Israeli prison service at the Negev lock-up refused to hand over winter clothes brought by the family to the detainee under the guise of unsuitable cloth quality or color.
The family voiced concerns over the reluctance of the Israeli prison authorities to smooth detainees’ access to much-needed winter garments.
Coordinator of the National Committee to Support Prisoners Mudafar Dukan said prisoners are forced to purchase winter clothes from the cantina at steep prices.
The Palestinian Prisoners Society also warned of the tragic conditions wrought on Palestinians in Etzion jail due to the poor hygiene and propagation of bacteria owing to the intense humidity and lack of exposure to sunbeams.
Attorney Jacqueline Fararja quoted Palestinian detainees as stating that they have been made to lie on filthy mattresses that are barely 2-cm thick and are terribly stinky.
Human rights groups continue to sound alarm bells over the abject conditions of captivity in Israeli dungeons where nearly 7000 Palestinian detainees are incarcerated among them women and children.
