RAMALLAH, December 10, 2025 (WAFA) – The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said today that Israeli prisons are facing the most severe cold wave in years, as the prison administration continues to deliberately deprive Palestinian detainees of blankets and winter clothing, turning cells into frigid spaces that pose a grave threat to their lives.

In a statement, the commission said the cold inside the detention sections is far harsher than outside, as concrete walls absorb moisture, metal beds turn painfully cold, and icy air seeps in throughout the night, while detainees have only light clothing that offers no protection against the prison’s winter conditions.

It added that conditions inside the cells have reached a distressing state, with detainees sleeping on bare floors for lack of warm mattresses, others relying on tattered cloth for cover, and sick detainees trembling through the night without medication or proper covers—circumstances the commission said amount to some of the most severe forms of abuse.

The commission warned of an imminent, widespread health deterioration if this policy persists, noting the surge in infections, acute colds, and escalating joint pain. It stressed that the situation amounts to a deliberate assault on the lives of detainees, rather than simply harsh conditions.

It affirmed that Israel has long used winter as a tool of repression by denying detainees their most basic humanitarian needs, holding the occupation authorities fully responsible for any impending catastrophe.

The commission called for immediate international intervention to protect detainees from the dangers posed by the severe cold wave inside Israeli prisons.

T.R.