Gaza prisoners ass'n says detainees need coats

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The Center for Detainees in Gaza City said Wednesday that they had received word from several inmates kept in Israeli detention centers that they were in dire need of warm clothing and blankets.

The complaints, the center said, came from the Ramon and Nafha prisons, in central Israel and the Negev dessert.

Because none of the relatives of the detained men and women from Gaza are permitted to receive family visits - with bans still in place for Gaza mothers and fathers wishing to see their detained children - families cannot deliver the necessary warm clothing that the prison service does not provide.

The statement appealed the Red Cross to intervene and allow parents and siblings in Gaza to visit their relatives in prison to bring warm clothing for the winter.