Zero hope to become parents! Israeli strike destroys 4,000 IVF embryos in Gaza clinic

An Israeli airstrike on Gaza's largest fertility clinic resulted in the destruction of all its frozen embryos and unfertilized eggs, leaving numerous infertile couples with no chance of ever conceiving children in December. 

4,000 embryos destroyed

Nearly 4,000 embroyos and 1,000 more specimens of sperm and unfertilized eggs were destroyed in this attack, due to which the wombs of hundreds of mothers remained empty. The explosion in Gaza blew off the lids of five liquid nitrogen tanks kept in the embryology unit. This caused the supercooled liquid to evaporate, increasing the temperature inside the tanks and destroying more than 4,000 embryos and more than 1,000 samples of unfertilized eggs at the AI Basma IVF centre, in Gaza City. 

Over 33,000 killed isn't enough. One single Israeli bomb on Gaza's largest fertility clinic wiped out over 4,000 IVF embryos of Palestinian parents hoping to have children.

They want to make sure they erase our past, present, and future. And they will fail God willing. pic.twitter.com/x4oqQWlr4C

— Dr. Omar Suleiman (@omarsuleiman504) April 17, 2024

Last hope for hundreds of Palestinian couples 

The embroyos in those tanks were the last hope for hundreds of Palestinian couples facing infertility. According to Bahaeldeen Ghayalyini, the Cambridge-trained obstetrician and gynaecologist, at least half of the couples- those who are unable to generate enough sperms or eggs to create healthy embryos-would not be able to conceive again. 

Israel-Hamas war 

An armed conflict between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups has been taking place chiefly in and around the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023. It began when Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. After clearing the militants from its territory, the Israeli military embarked on an extensive aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip followed by a large-scale ground invasion beginning on October 27.