By The Jerusalem Post (World News) | Created at 2025-01-01 07:00:07 | Updated at 2025-01-04 02:59:37
2 days ago
After Yotam Haim was mistakenly killed alongside two other hostages, his sperm was harvested. Now, the family waits court permission to have Haim's child.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF JANUARY 1, 2025 08:46
Iris Haim and her son, Yotam.
(photo credit: Courtesy)
The parents of killed hostage Yotam Haim decided to harvest the sperm of their son following his death, ensuring his genetic material was passed on to their grandchild, they told the Telegraph on Tuesday.
Only half an hour after Iris Haim was informed of the death of her 28-year-old son, she said she was asked, “Iris, do you want them to take sperm from Yotam?” - Despite the circumstances, she explained her answer came quickly.
“I was very surprised,” she told The Telegraph. “I asked my husband, and we immediately said yes.”
“We have a chance to have a continuation of Yotam. I know he really wanted children,” said Iris. “When we got this idea that we can do it, it really gave me a lot of hope and light… and room to breathe. Because I said it was not the end. I know that Yotam’s soul is with us always."
“This will be something real that we can feel. I hope it will be really successful, and we will have grandchildren,” she added.
Doctors harvested 10 vials of sperm from Haim, and now a friend of the family is waiting for a final court approval to begin attempting IVF.
Haim, a heavy metal drummer, escaped Hamas captivity but was later mistakenly killed by IDF soldiers alongside Samer Talalka, and Alon Shamriz in December 2023.
Haim had been abducted from Kfar Aza on October 7 by invading Hamas terrorists.
Sperm harvesting since October 7
Shaylee and Yahav Artery were in their home in Kfar Aza when the invading terrorists broke into their home. Artery was murdered while Shaylee escaped with their month-old baby.
Only 28 hours after her husband’s death, Shaylee began looking into harvesting his sperm.
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“I asked Yahav’s mother if she knew if you could harvest the sperm of a civilian like a soldier can. Everything I did from then was like a marathon, running against a time machine before the sperm died to try and save it,” Shaylee told The Telegraph.
Her trials to have another child with her husband were unsuccessful, as Artery’s sperm died as his wife appealed to the courts, lawyers and the Israeli public.
The Artery family’s struggle led to wide policy changes in Israel.
Following Hamas’s attacks on southern Israel, which saw the massacre of over 1200 people, and the following war, which has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of soldiers, the practice of harvesting sperm from deceased loved ones has become increasingly common.
The health ministry waived the requirement for court orders in the wake of the bloodshed. Between October 7, 2023, and June 2024, sperm has been retrieved from 170 soldiers and civilians, according to official figures - which the BBC reported was 15 times the number harvested in previous years.
