Growing numbers of Israeli parents are requesting that the sperm from the remains of their sons who were murdered during the ongoing conflict be retrieved and frozen as Israel's war in Gaza rages, according to a BBC report. This development highlights the profound impact of the conflict, with families of soldiers dead in Gaza war seeking to preserve the legacy of their loved ones amidst the turmoil.

The Israeli health ministry eliminated a court ruling that required parents to undertake the treatment in order to retrieve sperm in October. Even if it is now simpler to freeze sperm, widows or parents who wish to use it to have a child must demonstrate in court that the deceased man intended for there to be children. Parents say the entire procedure can take years, and their sadness is exacerbated by the prolonged wait.

The procedure entails cutting a little bit of tissue out of the testicle so that live sperm cells can be extracted and frozen in a laboratory. The optimal time to retrieve the cells is within 24 hours following death, however they can survive for up to 72 hours.

soldiers dead in Gaza war
Image Source: JHU Hub

The Israeli health ministry in October removed the need for parents to get a court permission before requesting the operation. In recent year, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) to have stepped up its efforts to provide it to parents who have lost a child.

Although freezing sperm has gotten simpler, widows or parents who wish to utilize it to have a child must prove in court that the deceased man wanted to have children. This can take years, particularly for bereaved parents. Since the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken as prisoners back to Gaza, the family is among an increasing number of people who have frozen their sperm.

In response, Israel conducted a significant military assault in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of around 39,000 Palestinians, as reported by the health ministry operated by Hamas. In the conflict, there have also been about 400 Israeli deaths. According to the Israeli health ministry, sperm has been extracted from around 170 young men, including soldiers, since October 7. The amount is over fifteen times higher than what it was at the same time last year. The first parents in Israel to preserve and use their dead son’s sperm were Rachel and Yaakov Cohen, whose son Keivan was shot dead by a Palestinian sniper, according to the IDF, in 2002 in the Gaza Strip.

Their granddaughter, Osher - born from his sperm - is now 10 years old.

Rachel describes a moment after Keivan’s death when she felt his presence: “I went to his closet. I wanted to find his smell. I even smelled his shoes,” she says. “He spoke to me from his photo. He asked me to make sure he has children.”

Rachel says they “faced so much opposition”, but eventually secured a ground-breaking legal decision, after which she advertised for a potential mother for her son’s child.

Experts emphasize how emotionally valuable this process is for families who have lost a loved one. Avi Harush’s voice trembles as he recalls the moment he learned his 20-year-old son, Reef, had been killed in combat on 6 April 2024 in the Gaza Strip.

Personal Stories of Families Seeking to Preserve the Legacy of Soldiers Dead in Gaza War

The military officers who came to his door also presented him with a decision. Avi’s answer was immediate. Reef “lived life to its fullest”, he says. “Despite the horrible loss, we choose to live.”

“Reef loved children and wanted kids of his own - there’s no question about it,” he adds. Reef had no wife or girlfriend. But as Avi began to share his son’s story, several women got in touch, offering to bear Reef’s child. He says the idea is now his “life’s mission”. Rabbi Yuval Sherlo, a prominent liberal rabbi who leads the Tzohar Center for Jewish Ethics in Tel Aviv, also says the consent of the deceased is an important consideration.

He explains that two important principles in Jewish law are also involved – continuing a man’s lineage and burying the body whole. Some rabbis say continuing the lineage is so important it merits the damage to the body tissue, he says, while others maintain the procedure should not take place at all.

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