RAMALLAH, Palestine

Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails are suffering from the cold due to a lack of heating along with authorities' blocking of donations of winter clothes, a Palestinian official body said Thursday.

"All detainees suffer from shortages of clothes and blankets and the lack of heating means that could protect them from the cold weather," the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)-run Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees' Affairs said in a statement.

The statement added that Israeli authorities also hindered and restricted the entry of cold-weather clothing and blankets to the inmates.

It added that Israel's inhumane policy is part of a systematic effort to erode Palestinian detainees' determination and resilience.

The statement demanded that international human rights groups intervene to help the Palestinian detainees.

As of last December, Palestinian NGOs estimated that there are around 4,600 Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails, with at least 600 suffering from illnesses as well as 160 juveniles and 34 women inmates.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar