Families of three expectant mothers held by Israel say overcrowding, poor food and limited medical care are putting women and their unborn babies at risk

On Monday, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club warned that three pregnant Palestinian women held by Israel were living in what it described as harsh and degrading conditions inside Damon Prison: Amina al-Taweel, Dana Joudeh and Manar Karaja.

The women are among 93 Palestinian female prisoners currently held in Israeli prisons. Since October 2023, neither their families nor delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross have been permitted to visit them.

The Prisoners’ Club said conditions for female prisoners had deteriorated sharply in recent months, accusing the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) of imposing increasingly punitive measures.

“Some pregnant prisoners have been subjected to harsh interrogations and detention conditions in cells that lack even the most basic sanitary standards,” the group said in a statement.

“This has exacerbated their physical and psychological suffering, leading to weight loss, emaciation and extreme exhaustion.”