Who was Yousef al-Zaaq, the world’s youngest prisoner?

Yousef al-Zaaq, who had previously been released from Israeli prisons, was martyred on Saturday morning when the Zionist regime bombed an apartment on Al-Thawra Street in the center of Gaza City.

Yousef was known as the world’s youngest prisoner. His mother, Fatima al-Zaaq, gave birth to him in 2008 while imprisoned in Israeli jails, and since then, his name has been inseparably linked with his mother's.

In 2007, the Zionist regime arrested Fatima al-Zaaq while she was leaving Gaza for medical treatment. She was pregnant with her son, Yousef, whom she later gave birth to inside prison.

Fatima al-Zaaq lived with her son Yousef in the harsh conditions of prison, raising him for nearly two years behind bars, in a cramped cell lacking even the most basic necessities of life.

She suffered from food shortages, lack of medical care, and had no safe space to care for her newborn.

She was only allowed to leave her cell in handcuffs and suffered from medical negligence. Her son suffered frequent illnesses and was deprived of adequate healthcare.

In 2008, Fatima al-Zaaq and her son were released as part of a deal that included the release of 19 Palestinian female prisoners in exchange for a video tape confirming the captivity of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by Hamas.