WEST BANK: A mentally disabled brother and sister are seeing the outside world after being kept in isolated rooms in a West Bank house for about 40 years.

Palestinian police found the two during a raid aimed at finding Hamas militants and criminals.

A police officer said Wednesday they heard unusual noises. When they investigated, they found the brother and sister.

Villagers did not know they were there. The family said they hid the two away because of the stigma a family faces if it has mentally disabled children.

Also, they said, there were no institutions that could take them in.

A disabled rights activist said there are probably many other such cases, partly because of the common practice among Palestinians of first cousins marrying each other. 

Source : AP