Palestinian Detainee Gives Birth in Israeli Prison after Six Months without Charge

 Palestinian detainee Dana Joudeh gave birth to a baby girl on Monday while in Israeli custody after spending six months in administrative detention.

Joudeh, 35, is from Iraq al-Tayeh, east of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said she gave birth while being held under the authority of Damon Prison and held Israeli occupation authorities and the prison administration fully responsible for the lives and health of both Joudeh and her newborn daughter.

The Commission said Joudeh had been detained while pregnant and subsequently placed under administrative detention, which allows Israel to imprison Palestinians without charge or trial.

According to the Commission, she was forced to endure her pregnancy in detention without adequate health and medical care. It described her continued imprisonment during pregnancy and the circumstances surrounding the birth as violations of international norms and laws.

Commission Condemns Treatment of Pregnant Detainee

The Commission accused the Israeli prison administration of treating Palestinian women detainees brutally and said Joudeh’s case demonstrated the conditions they face.

In the statement, it described her detention throughout the pregnancy as a “crime” and said forcing her to give birth while still detained constituted a “double crime that violates all human values.”

The Commission also criticized the international community over its failure to intervene against Israel’s treatment of Palestinian detainees.

Joudeh had completed six months in administrative detention by the time she gave birth.

Her detention order is scheduled to expire on Tuesday, one day after the birth.

Mother and Newborn Expected to Be Released Tuesday

According to the Commission, Joudeh is expected to be discharged from the hospital on Tuesday and transported with her newborn daughter to a checkpoint, where they are expected to be released.

The Commission held Israeli occupation authorities responsible for their safety during the process.

Joudeh’s case comes amid mounting reports by Palestinian detainee organizations of deteriorating conditions for Palestinian women and men held in Israeli prisons, including inadequate food, medical neglect, physical abuse and restrictions on basic necessities.

(PC, QNN)