Palestinian prisoner fathers twins through smuggled sperm

Palestinian prisoner Ahmad Al-Sakani became a father Monday after his wife gave birth to twins in Gaza City’s All-Quds Hospital, conceived with his smuggled sperm.

Al-Sakani, 35, is from Gaza and is currently 13 years into a 27-year prison sentence after being arrested in 2002 for involvement with the Islamic Jihad terrorist movement, the Palestinian Ma’an News Agency reported.

“I can’t put my happiness into words,” said Huwayda Al-Sakani, the new mother of twins Mutaz and Siwar, according to the Daily Mail.

Palestinian prisoners are denied conjugal visits, but between 30 and 50 children have reportedly been born via smuggled sperm.

Palestinian scholars and religious leaders have issued fatwas (legal opinions) permitting the insemination of wives of prisoners serving long sentences, the Daily Mail reported

In 2013, Dr. Salim Abu Khaizaran of the Razan Center for IVF (in vitro fertilization) in the West Bank city of Nablus said he has gathered 40 samples from Palestinian prisoners, and that 22 prisoners’ wives have undergone IVF treatment.

Abu Khaizaran said he gives the service for free in solidarity with the prisoners. He said the success rate was low because of the difficulty in transporting the samples. The Western rate of IVF success is about 25 percent in ideal hospital conditions.

Relatives said the samples were usually carried out in eye droppers.