Israeli police raid home of Palestinian prisoner's wife, confiscating car, computer

Israeli police raided the home of a Palestinian prisoner's wife, confiscating her car, computer and a small amount of money on Sunday.

Sanaa Salama, the wife of 60-year-old Walid Daqqa, posted photos on Facebook showing the chaos that resulted from the storming of the house, located in Baqa Al-Gharbiyye, a Palestinian city inside Israel.

Police raided Salama's home at 7am with a search warrant issued before Israel's new far-right government took power in December in order to confiscate money and property, she told The New Arab's Arabic sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

She said they wreaked havoc inside the home and took items including a car and computer belonging to her, books by Palestinian Islamic Jihad founder Fathi Al-Shaqaqi and jewellery belonging to her three-year-old daughter Milad.

"I asked the police, why do you confiscate books? These are not property," she said.

"They replied that they are materials that incite terrorism."

Salama said the police were very hostile towards her despite her daughter being present.

Also confiscated, she said, was a box with a picture of Bassel Al-Araj, a Palestinian killed by Israeli forces in 2017.

Salama's husband Daqqa, who is from Baqa Al-Gharbiyye, has been detained since 1986.

Sentenced to life imprisonment, his jail term was later set at 37 years before an additional two years were subsequently added.

Daqqa and his wife had their daughter Milad in 2020 by smuggling sperm out of prison.

The raid on Salama's home comes amid a continuing Israeli escalation against Palestinians, including prisoners. There are currently 4,700 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, according to December figures from detainees' rights group Addameer.

It also comes after the Friday shooting of 26-year-old Abdullah Sami Qalalweh brought to 36 the number of Palestinians killed so far in 2023, largely at the hands of Israeli forces.

Last year was the deadliest since 2004, with nearly 150 Palestinians killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Agencies contributed to this report.