Key facts
- Three pregnant Palestinian women are held in harsh conditions in Israel's Damon Prison.
- These women are among 93 Palestinian female prisoners currently detained by Israel.
- Families and the ICRC have been denied visits to these prisoners since October 2023.
- Allegations include harsh interrogations, lack of sanitary standards, and inadequate medical care.
- Strip searches and sleeping on floors due to overcrowding are also reported.
Three pregnant Palestinian women are reportedly enduring harsh and degrading conditions in Israel's Damon Prison, facing inadequate nutrition, medical care, and strip searches, according to the Palestinian Prisoners' Club. Manar Karaja, who was two months pregnant at the time of her arrest on April 30, is among them. She, along with Dana Joudah (five months pregnant) and Amina al-Taweel (four months pregnant), are part of the 93 Palestinian women currently held in Israeli jails. Families and delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross have been denied visits since October 2023.
The Palestinian Prisoners' Club has warned that conditions for female prisoners have sharply deteriorated, with punitive measures and harsh interrogations being imposed. Pregnant prisoners are allegedly subjected to strip searches and held in overcrowded cells lacking basic sanitary standards, leading to significant physical and psychological suffering, including weight loss and exhaustion. Karaja, through her lawyers, reported sleeping on the floor and experiencing persistent body pain due to overcrowding.
Dana Joudah, who had recently undergone gastric bypass surgery, is reportedly in poor health, suffering fainting spells and dehydration. Her family claims prison authorities have failed to provide appropriate medical care despite her condition and pregnancy. Amina al-Taweel's husband, Ali Shawahneh, expressed concern over her need for intensive care during pregnancy, which is unavailable in prison, and drew parallels to his own experience of severe weight loss due to poor prison food quality.
Human rights defender Helmi al-Araj stated that Israel is violating prisoners' rights through neglect of health, frequent raids, denial of privacy, and collective punishment, including abuse, torture, starvation, and isolation. He noted that these policies predate October 7 but have become deeply entrenched.