Ramallah, February 17 (RHC)-- Palestinian prisoners in an Israeli prison have complained about the poor sanitary conditions at the facility, despite claims by Israel that its prisons meet international standards.

A lawyer from the Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a statement that the Nafha prison, in a southern desert area, lacks basic health standards. The statement quoted several inmates at Ward 3 of the prison as saying that it is infested with insects and rats, with wastewater sometimes flooding the cells.

The prisoners also said that an inmate was recently bitten on the ear by a rat. The Israeli Prison Service, the agency responsible for overseeing jails, holds inmates in Ward 3 for a temporary period before they are transferred to other sections.

Human rights groups often criticize the Israeli Prison Service for rampant rights abuses in jails. Mysterious deaths of inmates have also been reported. More than 4,500 Palestinian prisoners are held in Israeli prisons, many of them without charge or trial.