Family’s Organ Donation Gives Seven New Lives After IDF Officer Is Killed in Lebanon Drone Strike

Captain Shahar Gamliel, an officer in the Egoz reconnaissance unit who died of his wounds after being critically injured by an explosive drone strike in southern Lebanon last Saturday, saved lives in his death. In the midst of the deep mourning, his family made the noble decision to donate his organs, saving the lives of seven people. One of the recipients is 7-year-old Bel Finkelstein, who was born with a rare liver disease and received Shahar’s liver.

From Schneider Children's Medical Center, where Bel is recovering after the surgery, her mother, Yana Finkelstein, told in an emotional interview on "The Morning World" about the new life they have been given. "As the hours pass, we see improvement and she is coming back to life and to herself," Yana says in a live interview from the ward. Alongside the renewed hope, she expresses the immense emotional complexity behind the medical miracle. "It is quite heartbreaking to know that for my daughter to get her life, someone had to lose his," she says, her voice breaking. The main feeling, however, is one of deep gratitude to Gamliel’s family, whose brave decision gave her daughter a future. "I am grateful forever," Yana concludes, "they gave life to my daughter."

The great hope was reinforced by Dr. Yael Muzer Glazberg, head of the liver transplant unit at Schneider. According to her, Bel’s chances of a full recovery are very good. "There is a great deal of optimism," she emphasized on air, adding that the 7-year-old is "expected to have a good, full, happy life".