Amman: The Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) reported that Israeli occupation forces arrested a pregnant Palestinian woman in her fourth month of pregnancy from her home two days ago as a hostage. The aim was to pressure her husband to turn himself in. He later did so, but the occupation authorities have kept her in custody.
The PPS stated in a statement that the occupation authorities have kept 28-year-old Bassel Khaled Abu Hmaid from the city of Yatta in Hebron detained, despite the surrender of her husband, Bakr Nabil Abu Rajab. He is an ambulance driver for the Palestinian Red Crescent. His brother, Musa Abu Rajab, also an ambulance driver for the Palestinian Red Crescent, was also arrested.
According to the information available until Friday, Israeli occupation forces transferred her to the so-called “Hasharon Prison Crossing,” which is a station used for abusing Palestinian female prisoners. This has increased since October 7, according to the testimonies of many female prisoners who have been visited by lawyers and those who have been released.
The PPS pointed out that the Israeli occupation continues to escalate the arrests of citizens as hostages, including women, which constitutes a crime. This is in addition to the series of crimes and violations that have escalated unprecedentedly since October 7. The Hebron governorate, its towns, and its camps have witnessed extensive arrests, the highest since “Al Aaqsa Flood Operation.” These arrests included citizens taken as hostages and the arrest of several members of the same family.
The number of arrests in the West Bank after October 7 reached about 6,500, including more than 215 women. The number of female prisoners in occupation prisons, or those whom the occupation has kept in custody, is at least 71.
The PPS renewed its continuous and permanent demand for international human rights organizations to restore their necessary role and stop the escalating crimes against prisoners and female prisoners in occupation prisons. This comes at a time when the occupation continues to carry out the crime of genocide in Gaza.
Source: Jordan News Agency