Terrorist who killed Israeli minister reportedly fathers twins using sperm smuggled from prison
The conception reportedly took multiple attempts over a two-year period, the nephew of Asmar told Palestinian media.
Basel Al-Asmar, a Palestinian prisoner serving a life sentence for the murder of former Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi, reportedly fathered twins using sperm smuggled out of Nafha Prison. His wife, Sanabel Al-Ra'i, announced the birth of the boy and a girl at a hospital in Qalqilya, following what was celebrated as a smuggling operation across Hamas-affiliated media.
According to his nephew, the conception took place over a two-year period through multiple attempts. The Jerusalem Post is unable to confirm the paternity of the twins.
Asmar and Al-Ra'i met in prison when Al-Ra'i was visiting her brother, Shaher Al-Ra'i, a PFLP member suspected of involvement in the killing of two Israeli hikers, though never convicted. The pair later married by proxy. Since at least 2012, over 100 children have reportedly been fathered by Palestinian prisoners through sperm smuggling operations.
In 2023, convicted terrorist Ahmed Shamali fathered quadruplets, angering then-National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, though the conception occurred prior to his appointment. Ben-Gvir has been asked for comment.
The Israel Prison Service (IPS) stated that there is no scientific evidence to confirm Al-Asmar's involvement in the twins' conception, emphasizing that such smuggling operations ceased before October 7, 2023, prior to the appointment of IPS Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi. The IPS policy now restricts all contact between prisoners and the outside world.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
