On Tuesday, dozens of Palestinians held a vigil at the International Red Cross headquarters in Ramallah, demanding the release of a Palestinian prisoner, who is nine months pregnant and has been detained in an Israeli prison for approximately five months on charges of attempting to stab Israeli soldiers at a military checkpoint in the West Bank. The participants in the vigil raised photos of the prisoner, Anhar al-Dek (26 years old), who is a mother to a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter and is expecting her new baby at any moment after surpassing the halfway point of her ninth month of pregnancy.
Ayesha al-Dek, Anhar's mother, spoke to Reuters during the vigil, appearing anxious and fearful for her detained daughter, saying: "If they don't want to release her, then let me be by her side when she gives birth. Is that too much to ask?" The Palestinian Liberation Organization’s Commission of Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs has made numerous attempts to secure Anhar's release by submitting requests for her release.
Thayer Shreiteh, the spokesman for the commission, told Reuters, "We submitted a request to the military court in Ofer for Anhar's release on bail, and we are awaiting the court's decision, which will hold a session tomorrow, Wednesday." He added, "We will continue our efforts until Anhar is released so she can give birth among her family and loved ones and receive the necessary healthcare."
Thayer Haja, Anhar's husband, described his wife's condition after visiting her on Tuesday, stating that her spirits are high despite her fear of giving birth in prison, especially after being informed by the prison administration that a room has been designated for her after childbirth to be with her baby. He told Reuters over the phone, "There is a possibility that my wife may need a cesarean section to give birth to the baby, whom we agreed to name 'Alaa'."
Haja conveyed a message from his wife saying, "Peace be upon you. I thank everyone who stood by my side and supported me, and I hope that God crowns this support with my release, along with my baby Alaa from the occupation's prisons." She adds in her message, "It is likely that they will decide on a cesarean operation for me in the coming days; my physical condition is very exhausting, and my mental state draws strength from your support. I am following all your efforts and hope this pressure continues until I attain freedom and can hold my baby among you, O free people."
Anhar's case highlights the conditions of Palestinian female prisoners in Israeli jails. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club stated in a statement, "The occupation continues to detain 11 mothers in its prisons, among 40 female prisoners, most of whom are held in Damon prison, depriving them of their children, in addition to the harsh conditions faced by female prisoners, marked by systematic abusive procedures."
In its statement, the club added, "The occupation's prison administration denies the children of imprisoned mothers open visits, preventing them from embracing their children, and the deprivation has intensified since the beginning of last year with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the irregularity of visits." The club also noted that "eight female prisoners have historically given birth in the occupation's prisons and have faced unbearable and inhumane conditions." It mentioned that Fatima al-Zaq, born in 1969 in Shujaiya, was the last to give birth while in prison in 2008.
