Baby born from smuggled sperm of Palestinian prisoner

By Hani al-Shaer

KHAN YOUNIS, Palestine (AA) - A Palestinian woman from Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip gave birth Thursday after she managed to smuggle sperm from her husband who is detained in an Israeli jail.

The family of the prisoner, Mohammed al-Qedra, named the newborn Mujahid -- a request by his father.

His sister, Manal al-Qedra, told Anadolu Agency that there were two previous attempts to smuggle her brother’s sperm but those failed but a third attempt succeeded.

"Despite our happiness with the arrival of the newborn Mujahid, our happiness is incomplete as our brother [Mohammed] is still in jail with around four-and-a-half years still left until his release,” she said.

Al-Qedra, 35, was detained by Israel during Israel’s aggression against the Gaza Strip in Operation Protective Edge in July 2014. He was sentenced to 11 years.

Married Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons have become fathers by smuggling sperm to their wives.

The first was in 2012 by Ammar al-Zabin who is serving a life-term sentence.

More than 85 babies have since been born via smuggled sperm.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara