Terrorist who killed Israeli minister reportedly fathers twins using sperm smuggled from prison

Palestinian prisoner Basel Al-Asmar, serving a life sentence for the 2001 murder of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi, has allegedly fathered twins via sperm smuggled from Nafha Prison. His wife gave birth in Qalqilya, with Hamas-affiliated media celebrating the news. The Israel Prison Service stated the alleged smuggling occurred before October 7, 2023, and that current policy prevents prisoner contact with the outside world.

Palestinian prisoner Basel Al-Asmar, serving a life sentence for the 2001 murder of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi, has allegedly fathered twins via sperm smuggled from Nafha Prison. His wife, Sanabel Al-Ra'i, gave birth to a boy and a girl at a hospital in Qalqilya, with the news celebrated across Hamas-affiliated media. The conception reportedly took multiple attempts over a two-year period, according to Asmar's nephew speaking to Palestinian media. The Jerusalem Post notes it cannot confirm the paternity. The Israel Prison Service told the Post there is no scientific evidence to confirm the report and emphasized that the alleged smuggling occurred before October 7, 2023, prior to Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi taking office. Since then, the IPS policy has changed completely, with no contact between prisoners and the outside world. According to Palestinian media reports, over 100 children have been fathered by detained Palestinian prisoners through sperm smuggling operations since 2012. The report also notes that convicted terrorist Ahmed Shamali fathered quadruplets in 2023 via smuggled sperm, which reportedly outraged National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.