RAMALLAH, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The Asra Media Office (AMO) said that Israel’s Ramon prison has witnessed a dangerous escalation in repressive measures against Palestinian detainees, as harsh humanitarian conditions worsen with the onset of winter.
In a statement on Saturday, the Office said the administration of Ganot (Ramon) prison carried out three consecutive crackdown operations during December, on the 14th, 16th and 19th, involving raids on prisoners’ cells and collective assaults that included beatings and abuse without exception.
The statement noted that these operations were conducted amid ongoing severe isolation conditions, with no improvement in detainees’ living circumstances. It warned that the continued use of solitary confinement has become an increasing threat to prisoners’ lives, while the prison administration denies them the most basic necessities of daily life.
According to the AMO, prisoners are enduring extremely difficult humanitarian conditions as temperatures drop, in the absence of minimum heating requirements and amid a severe shortage of winter clothing. Each detainee reportedly has only two blankets and a single jacket, which are insufficient to cope with the cold, while winter undergarments are almost entirely unavailable.
The suffering intensifies during nighttime hours due to the sharp decline in temperatures, the Office said, cautioning of serious health consequences for detainees, particularly in light of what it described as deliberate medical neglect and the lack of response to basic needs.
The AMO said the treatment of detainees in Ramon prison amounts to systematic collective punishment and abuse, holding Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for the safety and well-being of the prisoners. It warned of grave repercussions if the policies of isolation and repression continue.
The Office called on international human rights and humanitarian organizations to intervene urgently to halt what it described as ongoing crimes inside Israeli prisons.
According to previous data from the Palestinian Prisoner Society, the number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails stood at approximately 10,800 as of early August, including 49 women and 450 children. These figures do not include detainees held in military camps run by the Israeli army, among them prisoners from Lebanon and Syria.
