96th Palestinian baby born using sperm smuggled from Israel prison

The wife of a Palestinian prisoner from Gaza has given birth to a baby boy after becoming pregnant through smuggled sperm.

The wife of the prisoner, Muhammad Al-Qidra, gave birth to Mujahid, the couple’s first son today.

Mujahid becomes the fourth child in the family, however he is the first to be conceived in this manner after his 35-year-old father was arrested.

Al-Qidra was detained by Israeli occupation forces in July 2014 during Israel’s deadly assault on the besieged Gaza Strip. He was later sentenced to 11 years in jail.

INTERVIEW: ‘This is for Palestine’, says mum who gave birth through smuggled sperm

His aunt, Nadia Al-Qidra, said the occupation had been “depriving the prisoner, Muhammad, from family visiting for four years.”

“But we brought the semen in a special way, and the operation succeeded, and we thank God for this success,” she added in an interview with Anadolu Agency.

“Our joy is great, but the joy is incomplete, because the father of the child is not present, and we wish that he was present with us so that the joy may be complete.”

Mujahid is the 96th child to be born using smuggled sperm while their fathers have been detained by the occupation, according to institutions specialised in prisoners’ affairs.