CrossFireArabia
By Dr Marwan Asmar
Three-month pregnant Amin Shaher Al Taweel was grabbed from her home by Israeli soldiers in the middle of the night.
Her lawyer, Hassan Abadi, reveals shocking details about her condition as she is being held in the Israeli Damon Prison. He said Amina is three-month pregnant and is living in the most dire humanitarian state with no medical care.
Abadi explained that following a visit to the 36-year-old mother of four from the town of Kafr Thulth in the Qalqilya district of the northern West Bank.
The meeting was deeply moving, with Amina breaking down as she received wishes from her family; these were tears of joy at being reassured of her children and cries of sorrow at being separated from them.
Abadi said Amin’s greatest concern is for the well-being of her children and husband, noting he is “a wonderful father and husband,” and urged her lawyer to tell her daughters to take responsibility and stand by their dad, and sent a message to her mom asking for her prayers in these difficult circumstances.
Amina was arrested at dawn on 18 March, 2026, at 2:30 am, after preparing the pre-dawn meal (suhoor) for her children just two days before Eid al-Fitr.
The image of her children crying during her arrest continues to haunt her. Their pleas for her not to leave and stay with them to celebrate Eid is most difficult, she says.
Her lawyer said Amina was subjected to a harsh 25-day interrogation at the Al-Jalameh Interrogation Center held in solitary confinement in an underground cell. There, she lost 9 kilos with much psychological and physical pressure imposed on her. “The interrogation conditions were extremely harsh, things you can’t imagine,” Abadi emphasized.
Currently, Amina is being held in a cramped 4×4 meters room with six prisoners instead of two, in conditions lacking even the most basic of privacy. The bathroom inside the room has no door, exacerbating the prisoners’ suffering with the room including a minor and another pregnant woman.
Abadi that since she was brought to this prison Amina was subjected to repeated interrogation calls by raiding prison forces. These raids – six times so far – were accompanied by stun grenades, shouting, and verbal abuse, whilst being forced to kneel and some placed in solitary confinement for extended periods. She explained these measures are “repeated punishments.”
Abadi stressed Amina’s condition is alarming, especially since she is pregnant and suffers from seizures and blood clots. She is not receiving adequate nutrition, and needs healthy foods such as soup and green vegetables, which is not available in prison. He also noted the prison administration keeps delaying her needed pregnancy tests and won’t inform her of the results taken while her interrogations continue.
He added that the prison administration had confiscated her personal belonginngs and forced her into a prison uniform. But the other female prisoners gave her more appropriate prayer garments after altering them to fit her. This reflects the spirit of solidarity among the female prisoners despite the harsh conditions.
Abadi said Amina told him visits like this are the only source of comfort for the inmates, providing them news of their families. Through the lawyer, she also sent a message to her children, urging them to write in their diaries, send her letters, and keep a record of their daily lives in the hope of seeing them again.
In turn, Abadi promised he would launch an international campaign through the European Alliance for the Support of Palestinian Prisoners demanding her release, especially since she is pregnant.
The number of Palestinian women in Israeli jails has risen to 90 as of April 2026 according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Association. It states most of them are in the Damon Prison; they include two young girls and a pregnant woman in her third month.
This article is based on a report on the Falastine Al Ann website and appears in www.crossfirearabia.com
