9,400 Palestinian prisoners face winter without clothes or blankets in Israeli prisons

Around 9,400 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons are facing worsening conditions as winter approaches, with clothing, winter blankets and heating still denied to them for more than three years, the Palestine Centre for Prisoners Studies has warned.

The centre said living and health conditions in prisons and detention centres were deteriorating.

Its director, Riyad al-Ashqar, said Israeli authorities had continued to prevent prisoners from obtaining clothes and blankets since 7 October 2023, while visits had been suspended and prison canteens, where prisoners used to buy basic necessities, had been closed.

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In a statement, al-Ashqar said Israeli authorities had also barred international organisations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), from delivering clothes to prisoners. Meanwhile, prison authorities had confiscated their personal belongings, including clothes and blankets, and removed mattresses and any remaining blankets from rooms and cells during the day.

He added that prisoners had been forced to wear and use the same clothes and blankets for extended periods without being able to wash or replace them. This had contributed to the spread of skin diseases, particularly scabies, amid a shortage of medical care and necessary treatment.

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