Ramallah: Palestinian inmates are no longer to offer visiting family, prisoner-made biscuits, sweets or juice after a crackdown by Israeli prison authorities on sperm smuggling.

In the past, prison guards allowed family to accept the food and drinks made by the prisoners, but it was soon realised that prisoners had been smuggling sperm through the food items.

Palestinians are not permitted to receive conjugal visits, but in recent years some prisoners serving heafty sentences were able to successfully impregnate their wives through artificial insemination.