Israeli widow gives birth to fiancé's baby 19 months after his death in Gaza

An Israeli woman has given birth to a child conceived with the sperm of her fiancé, 19 months after his death in Gaza, a case described by doctors and support groups as a rare posthumous pregnancy in Israel.

Hadas Levy, a 35-year-old pediatrician, welcomed the baby after a complex medical and legal journey that began within minutes of learning that her partner had been killed while fighting Hamas in Gaza and intensified in the days that followed the Oct. 7 attack. Levy and Netanel Silberg, a 33-year-old special forces reservist, had plans to build a family and travel the world together before his death on Dec. 18 in the northern Gaza Strip. Levy said she decided to pursue posthumous conception to honor their shared dream and to carry on some part of him through their future child.

Within 20 minutes of learning Silberg’s death, Levy began the process to preserve his genetic material. Within 12 hours, Silberg’s sperm — which was not as viable as live sperm and had no motility — was successfully preserved. A 10-hour procedure at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital followed, in which a specialized team worked to revive dead sperm that had been deprived of oxygen for hours. The effort yielded nine viable sperm cells, a result doctors described as fragile and uncertain but enough to move forward with reproductive techniques. The process reflected an emerging practice in the IDF community, where posthumous sperm extraction has become more common as a path to preserving a fallen partner’s genetic legacy.

The legal path, however, required navigating Israel’s complex rules governing the use of a deceased person’s genetic material. Levy relied on support from the IDF Widows & Orphans Organization and a pro bono lawyer to push through the consent and ethical considerations involved. By the first anniversary of Oct. 7, Levy was pregnant, and she later carried to term, becoming the first partner of a fallen soldier in Israel to conceive and birth the soldier’s child. Levy described the moment she learned she was pregnant as a turning point in a long and painful period of mourning, saying, “It’s a miracle. It’s science fiction.”

The baby, now three months old, is living with Levy near Jerusalem. Levy has chosen to withhold the infant’s name and image for safety reasons, underscoring the protective measures many families feel compelled to adopt in a conflict zone where even private moments can attract attention. Levy has expressed ongoing gratitude for the support she received from family, medical staff, and the Widows & Orphans Organization, and she continues to celebrate the possibility of a life built from two people’s love and loss.

Levy’s experience also points to a broader, evolving dynamic within the IDF community. The organization told The Post that posthumous sperm extraction has begun to standardize as a pathway for widows to carry on their late partners’ genetic line. Shlomi Nachumson, the CEO of the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization, noted that there are currently more than 50 widows who could theoretically become pregnant from their late partners, highlighting that this is not an isolated case but part of a broader shift in how families are supported after losses in combat.

Levy hopes to raise her son with the possibility of a sibling, noting that six additional embryos remain available for use. She said she envisions a future for her family that honors the life and service of Silberg, alongside the daily joys and challenges of parenting. “There’s no doubt I did the right thing — for the three of us,” she said, reflecting on a journey that blended grief, medical science and a still-growing sense of hope.

The story of Levy and Silberg has drawn attention to the intersection of resilience, reproductive technology and national service in a country where military sacrifice is deeply woven into the national narrative. As doctors, lawyers and advocacy groups continue to navigate the ethical and legal dimensions of posthumous conception, Levy’s experience stands as a testament to the lengths to which families will go to preserve a loved one’s legacy.