DaysofPal – The Palestine Center for Prisoners Studies has warned that Israeli prison authorities are deliberately restricting ventilation inside detention cells by sealing air vents with metal plates, significantly reducing airflow during the ongoing summer heatwave.
The center said soaring temperatures are worsening the already harsh conditions faced by Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, raising serious concerns about their health and well-being.
It added that prison conditions have deteriorated further since October 7, 2023, citing an escalation in punitive measures against Palestinian prisoners.
Among those measures is the reported removal of electric fans, previously the only means of cooling overcrowded cells, leaving detainees exposed to extreme heat and causing a sharp decline in living conditions.
According to the centre, Israeli prisons are experiencing severe overcrowding as a result of ongoing arrest campaigns across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Many detainees are being held beyond prison capacity, with some forced to sleep on cell floors in hot and humid conditions.
The report also said prisoners have little or no access to outdoor time, further intensifying the effects of the heat. Many reportedly try to cool themselves by soaking their clothes and bedding with water.
Vulnerable groups, including elderly prisoners, children, and detainees with chronic illnesses, face heightened health risks under these conditions, which the organization said threaten both their physical and mental well-being.
The center accused Israeli prison authorities of repeatedly rejecting prisoners’ requests to improve ventilation, restore electric fans, and reopen sealed air vents, describing the measures as part of a broader policy of punitive detention.
It warned that these conditions amount to collective punishment and significantly increase health risks, particularly given prisoners’ limited access to medical care.
The Palestine Center for Prisoners Studies called on international human rights and humanitarian organizations to take urgent action and pressure the Israeli occupation authorities to ensure detention conditions comply with international standards.
According to the center, more than 9,400 Palestinians are currently being held in Israeli prisons, where many continue to endure torture, ill-treatment, starvation, and abuse while confined in overcrowded cells during the extreme summer heat.
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