Israeli couple welcomes baby using eggs frozen 25 years ago after son was killed by Hamas

New Delhi: The parents of an Israeli man who was killed while being held hostage by Hamas have welcomed a baby boy conceived using eggs they had frozen 25 years ago, marking a deeply emotional new chapter for the grieving family.

Nira and Yigal Sarusi, whose son Almog Sarusi was abducted from the Nova music festival during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack and later killed in captivity, named their newborn son Lavi at a circumcision ceremony in Ra’anana on September 28.

Lavi was born on Yom Kippur, just over a week before the ceremony, The Times of Israel reported.
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Parents find hope after son’s death

The couple, now in their 60s, remembered the eggs they had frozen during a medical procedure more than two decades ago while mourning Almog’s death.

The family located the frozen eggs about two years ago, discussed the possibility of having another child with their surviving children and eventually found a surrogate.

The process took several attempts, while the pregnancy and birth were kept private until the family ceremony.

‘A miracle happened to us’

The family described Lavi’s birth as a miracle in an invitation to the circumcision ceremony.

The invitation said the family would continue to carry the pain of losing Almog while finding hope and joy in the birth of their new son.

Almog’s sister Amit also shared the news on social media, saying the family continued to live with the loss and longing for her brother but would not allow the tragedy to overcome them.

Ra’anana Mayor Chaim Broyde, who attended the ceremony, said the gathering was marked by both grief and happiness.

He described the family’s longing for Almog alongside the joy brought by the newborn, saying the baby had brought a smile to a family for whom the meaning of life had become especially profound.
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Who was Almog Sarusi?

Almog was abducted from the Nova music festival in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas-led attack in which hundreds of people were killed, wounded or taken hostage.

According to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), Almog was killed in Gaza in August 2024 along with five other hostages while they were being held in a tunnel. Their bodies were later recovered by Israeli forces.

Reports said Almog had stayed behind during the attack to help his injured girlfriend, Shahar, who was also killed.

The five other hostages killed alongside him were Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov and Carmel Gat.

For the Sarusi family, Lavi’s birth comes nearly three years after Almog was abducted.

The newborn’s arrival has brought a moment of hope and joy to a family still mourning their son, with the parents choosing to welcome new life while continuing to remember Almog.