Nitza Shmueli, the mother of Border Police officer Barel Hadaria Shmueli, who was killed in 2021 after being shot along the Gaza border, has received court approval to use her late son’s sperm to bring a grandchild into the world.
In a post published Thursday, Shmueli said a court had authorized the use of her son’s sperm following what she described as a painful, four-year legal struggle.
“Barel was a child of joy, love, friendship and family,” she wrote. “After a long and difficult battle, we finally received court approval to use Barel’s sperm and bring a grandchild from his seed.”
She said she is seeking a woman willing to conceive a child using Barel’s sperm “from a known source.”
“I, Barel’s mother, am looking for a woman who wants to bring a child from Barel’s sperm,” she wrote. “A woman who wants to gain a warm and loving family. If you think you could be the intended woman, you are welcome to contact me privately.”
In an interview with ynet, Shmueli said the court approval had been granted about six months ago, but she only now felt ready to make it public.
“After such a long struggle, I needed quiet and rest,” she said. “I fought for this, and it wasn’t easy — in the Knesset and in court — alongside the pain and loss. I needed time to process that I had succeeded.”
She emphasized that the arrangement would not resemble an anonymous sperm donation. “We are not going to function as a sperm bank. This is a completely different process,” she said. “The child who is born will always know that his father was a hero and will cherish him. We want someone who is whole and worthy for this entire process, because Barel’s sperm is not anonymous.”
She added that the woman who agrees to take part “will be like a daughter-in-law in every sense, and it will be a grandson or granddaughter in every sense.” If the woman later chooses to build her own family, Shmueli said, “we will support her, but the most important thing is that she knows what she is entering.”
Barel Hadaria Shmueli was critically wounded in August 2021 during clashes near the Gaza border fence. Hundreds of Palestinian demonstrators approached the northern Gaza perimeter during a protest organized by Hamas. According to Israeli authorities, a Hamas operative concealed a handgun in his clothing and fired at Shmueli at point-blank range through a narrow opening in the wall from which the officer was aiming his weapon. He later died of his injuries.
Eight months after his death, the family announced it was seeking a woman to bear a child using his sperm but encountered legal obstacles amid the absence of clear legislation regulating posthumous use of sperm.
In a television interview in 2024, Shmueli said she had considered transferring her son’s burial to a civilian cemetery and called on the public to attend his funeral, alleging that the military and Defense Ministry had not fully recognized him as a fallen soldier. “Barel’s sperm should not be a hostage in the Defense Ministry and the IDF,” she said at the time. “It belongs to us.”