"Miracle" baby born to parents of murdered hostage

Lavi Sarusi was born from eggs frozen 25 years ago

In what might rightfully called “a miracle”, a baby son was born over Yom Kippur — from eggs frozen 25 years ago. And at Lavi Sarusi’s brit in Ra’anana this week, his parents remembered their eldest son, Almog Sarusi, 27, who was murdered in 2024 by Hamas terrorists, after a year spent in captivity in Gaza. Almog, an engineering student, had been abducted by terrorists from the Nova music festival on October 7 2023.

Over a quarter of a century ago, Nira and Yigal Sarusi decided to freeze eggs during an earlier medical procedure. They brought up four children, including Almog, and effectively forgot about the frozen eggs.

But while they were in mourning for Almog — killed alongside five other hostages, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin — the couple remembered the frozen eggs and decided to track them down.

Now in their 60s, the bereaved parents consulted their surviving adult children, and vowed to find a surrogate who might be able to have a successful pregnancy and birth from the frozen eggs.

After several initial attempts, the Sarusis did indeed find a surrogate, who was willing to carry a baby for them. The whole procedure was conducted in secrecy and not made public until the emotional brit took place on Monday in Ra’anana.

Almog Sarusi’s sister, Amit, and the town’s mayor, Chaim Broyde, gave details of the remarkable celebration on social media. On Instagram, Amit wrote: “The loss, the pain, the longing lives in us at every moment. Nothing will heal the pain, and life goes on alongside it. So, Almog, you surely already know, because you moved things up there so that it could happen. But a younger brother was also born to you, from Mom and Dad.”

She added: “We will not let evil beat us; we will continue on your path and make you proud.”

Broyde, who attended the brit, described “tremendous longing. Tears. Pain. And something else: a baby bringing a huge smile to a family for whom the meaning of the word ‘life’ is so profound.”

He said that the invitation to the brit declared: “A miracle happened to us. Thanks to a wonderful surrogate, a son was born to us on Yom Kippur. We will forever carry in our hearts the pain over Almog, may God avenge his blood, but we are filled with hope that alongside the pain, we will be able to rejoice in the gifts that God has given us.”

The IDF previously said that Almog Sarusi and his fellow captives — who had been held in a Gaza tunnel for almost a year — were on the verge of being rescued, but were killed by Hamas instead.

The other hostages were Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Ori Danino, 25, Alex Lobanov, 32, and Carmel Gat, 40.