Three pregnant Palestinian women are being held in overcrowded cells, sleeping on floors and facing shortages of essential supplies in Israel's notorious Damon Prison, according to a Palestinian lawyer and a former detainee who spoke to The New Arab , as rights groups call for their immediate release.
The accounts offer a rare glimpse inside the prison as the Palestinian Prisoners Club (PPC) warns that the continued detention of the women poses a serious threat to their health and that of their unborn children.
A former Palestinian prisoner who was released after nearly five months in Damon Prison described conditions inside the facility as deeply isolating and psychologically exhausting.
"There were no visits, no news and no way to know what was happening outside. The most painful thing was losing all sense of time and reality," she told The New Arab. She said overcrowding forced women into cramped conditions, with some prisoners sleeping on the floor.
"There was no privacy, and even basic daily routines became exhausting," she said.
The former detainee also described severe shortages of hygiene supplies.
"We had almost nothing, especially as women. Every day was a struggle to survive," she added.
Night raids and repeated searches created a constant atmosphere of fear, she said, adding: "It was complete isolation from normal life."
Jerusalem-based Palestinian lawyer Hassan Abadi, who monitors the situation of female detainees, told The New Arab that conditions inside Damon Prison have deteriorated sharply since the escalation of Israel's war on Gaza.
"There are currently around 86 female prisoners in Damon Prison, most of them from the West Bank and Jerusalem," he said, adding that roughly two-thirds are being held under administrative detention.
He described the isolation imposed on detainees as one of the harshest aspects of their imprisonment.
"They have been deprived of family visits for months, and they have no access to news or communication with their families. Lawyers' visits remain the only link to the outside world," he said. Three pregnant detainees held by Israel The Palestinian Prisoners Club issued a statement on Monday calling for the immediate release of three pregnant Palestinian detainees currently held in Damon Prison.
The organisation said their continued imprisonment violates international humanitarian law, including protections afforded to pregnant women under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Israeli authorities have not publicly responded to the allegations concerning conditions at Damon Prison.
According to the PPC, the three women are being held under different legal frameworks, including administrative detention and charges linked to speech and social media activity.
They are Amina Shaher al-Taweel, 37, from Qalqilya, a mother of four who is four months pregnant and has been detained since 18 March on allegations of incitement.
Dana Anad Joudah, 35, from Nablus, a mother of one who is five months pregnant, has been held since 18 April under a six-month administrative detention order, a measure that allows Israel to imprison Palestinians without charge or trial.
The third detainee, Manar Ibrahim, 28, from Ramallah, a mother of two who is four months pregnant, has been detained since late April over allegations related to social media posts.
The PPC criticised Israel's use of administrative detention, arguing that it deprives detainees of due process and is particularly harmful for pregnant women who require regular medical monitoring and specialised care.
The organisation said the three women are subjected to the same prison policies imposed on other female detainees, including repeated cell raids, punitive measures and inadequate access to hygiene products and healthcare despite their specific medical needs.
According to the PPC, women prisoners have also been subjected to strip searches, confiscation of personal belongings, prolonged isolation during interrogations and collective punishment measures. Overcrowding, medical neglect and psychological pressure Prisoner rights organisations and lawyers say conditions inside Damon Prison have become increasingly severe, with overcrowding, deteriorating hygiene and limited medical care posing particular dangers for pregnant detainees.
Abadi described an environment marked by constant psychological pressure, including frequent night raids, forced searches, collective punishments, verbal abuse and threats during interrogations and prison inspections.
He said overcrowding was especially acute in the section housing pregnant detainees.
"There are three pregnant women and three other detainees in a room with only two beds, forcing some of them to sleep on the floor," he said.
Abadi added that poor ventilation, shortages of hygiene products and a lack of women's health supplies had worsened living conditions and increased health risks, particularly for pregnant women.
Food provision is also a major concern, according to Abadi.
He said meals are often limited in both quantity and nutritional value, consisting mainly of legumes and basic dishes that do not provide sufficient protein or essential nutrients during pregnancy.
"This raises serious concerns for the health of both mothers and fetuses," he said. Rising arrests of Palestinian women Human rights organisations say the case of the three pregnant detainees reflects a broader increase in arrests targeting Palestinian women since the start of the Gaza war.
According to PPC figures, Israeli forces have detained more than 765 Palestinian women since October 2023, including students, journalists, lawyers, teachers, mothers, minors and elderly women.
Rights groups say the rise in arrests has been accompanied by harsher detention conditions and an expanded use of administrative detention, leaving many women in prolonged legal limbo.
The PPC and other organisations have called on Israel to assume full responsibility for the health and safety of the three pregnant detainees and either release them or ensure they receive adequate medical care and humane treatment.
The group has also urged the International Committee of the Red Cross and UN special rapporteurs to intervene urgently, warning that the women and their unborn children face growing risks if they remain imprisoned under current conditions.
As international concern mounts, the plight of the three pregnant women has become a focal point in wider allegations of mistreatment and abuse of Palestinian female detainees held in Israeli prisons.