Israeli Courts Allow Families to Use Semen of Fallen Soldiers for Children
Translated & summarized from Kipa by baba
Two Israeli families have won court approval to use the preserved semen of their sons, who died in combat and service, to have children. The legal battles, one lasting 14 years, involved finding surrogate mothers and overcoming state objections. Posthumous semen retrieval has become more common, with 271 cases recorded between October 7 and November 2025, primarily initiated by parents.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Two Israeli families received court permission to use semen of their deceased sons to have children.
- The legal battles for posthumous conception lasted years, with one case spanning 14 years.
- The families are seeking surrogate mothers to carry and raise the children.
- The state initially objected, questioning the deceased soldiers' consent for children with unknown women.
- Since October 7, semen has been retrieved posthumously from 271 individuals, mostly soldiers.
- Parents initiated most posthumous conception requests, followed by partners.
Two bereaved Israeli families have received court approval to use the preserved semen of their sons, who were killed in service, to have children. The rulings came after lengthy legal battles.
One case involved the parents of Rif Harush, a soldier in the Egoz unit who died in Gaza in April 2024 at age 20. His father, Avi, found a note from his son after his death stating, "There is no substitute for continuity," which the family adopted as their guiding principle. They are now preparing to find a surrogate mother to carry Rif's child and raise them within a supportive family structure.
The other case concerned the parents of IDF officer Omri Shahar, who died in a 2012 training accident. Their legal fight to have a child using his preserved semen lasted 14 years. Initially, the parents sought to raise the child themselves, but this request was denied. They then shifted to finding a surrogate mother, with themselves acting as involved grandparents. After finding a suitable candidate two and a half years ago, the state continued to object, questioning whether Omri had consented to having a child with a woman he did not know. An agreement was finally reached just before the surrogate mother withdrew from the process.
These cases highlight a broader trend. According to the Ministry of Health, between October 7 and November 2025, semen was retrieved posthumously from 271 individuals (250 soldiers and 21 civilians). In most instances, the retrieval was initiated by the parents (203 cases), with the partners initiating the process in 68 cases.
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