Palestinian woman gives birth by C-section while detained in Israeli prison

Thirty-five-year-old Dana Joudeh from Nablus was arrested without charge and placed under administrative detention, learning of her pregnancy while in Sharon Prison. Her confinement continued at Damon Prison, where she endured inadequate nutrition, limited medical attention, and reports of violence, including sound grenades and forced face-down positions. As her condition worsened with severe bleeding and anemia, prison authorities moved her blindfolded to Rambam Hospital, where a premature C-section was performed while she remained shackled.

Israeli soldiers stood in the operating room during the procedure, and the infant was subsequently admitted to a neonatal intensive-care unit in Ramallah. Advocates cite Joudeh’s case as only the second documented birth in Israeli detention in nearly two decades, highlighting broader concerns about the treatment of pregnant Palestinian detainees.