Court said to approve mom’s request to use fallen soldier son’s sperm to have grandchild
Sharon Eisenkot permitted to use sperm of 19-year-old son Maor, Golani fighter killed in Gaza who was also nephew of ex-IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot
An Eilat court has authorized Sharon Eisenkot to use sperm retrieved from her son, IDF soldier Maor Eisenkot, who was killed in Gaza in 2023, to have a grandchild through surrogacy, according to a Channel 12 report Saturday.
This is the first such decision since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, which erupted with Hamas-led onslaught in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Sgt. Maor Cohen Eisenkot, 19, was a combat soldier in the Golani Brigade’s 12th Battalion. He was killed in the Gaza Strip in December 2023.
The court based its ruling on testimonies showing that Maor had clearly expressed his wish to have children and had agreed to the posthumous use of his sperm, even with a woman he did not know. Sharon Eisenkot only learned of his wishes after Maor was killed in battle, through a childhood friend to whom he had confided.
This testimony was pivotal in the court’s decision, the report said.
Reflecting on her loss, Sharon Eisenkot told Channel 12 last year: “Every Friday when I set the table and have to place Maor’s photo on it—it burns my soul. Even when I smile, the smile is only on my face, not from my soul.”
She added: “His absence tears at my soul—everywhere, at all hours of the day. I miss his presence. I even miss his scent. I spray his cologne around the house so I can smell him. It’s surreal that I have to be creative just to feel my son.”
Maor was killed shortly after his cousin, Staff Sergeant (res.) Gal Eisenkot, 25, son of former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, fell in combat. Another nephew of the politician, Captain Yogev Pazy, 22, was killed in Gaza in November 2024.
Sharon Eisenkot, the former war cabinet minister’s half-sister, is related through their father’s second marriage.
In Eilat, Maor played in youth division soccer and was described as a serious player and a responsible and caring person by his coaches, the Israel Hayom daily reported upon his death.
The Times of Israel Community.