In response to the ongoing conflict against Hamas and other Gaza terror groups, the Health Ministry has released comprehensive guidelines for the donation of breast milk to the national breast milk bank. This facility is operated by Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance, and blood bank service, in collaboration with the Health Ministry.
Numerous nursing mothers have taken to social media to express their willingness to donate their breast milk to assist babies born to mothers who have been killed, injured, kidnapped, or called to serve in the IDF reserves. Some babies themselves have sustained injuries and require breast milk for their recovery.
The recent invasion by Hamas into southern Israel led to the tragic loss of at least 900 Israeli lives. On Tuesday, efforts to locate and retrieve bodies continued, with the death toll expected to rise. Additionally, it is estimated that approximately 150 Israelis and foreign nationals are being held captive in Gaza.
Desperate relatives and friends caring for the infants have made pleas for breast milk, prompting the formation of online groups to coordinate supplies. The Health Ministry’s guidelines aim to centralize and streamline these efforts.
“When we initially advocated for the establishment of the breast milk bank in Israel, our focus was primarily on prematurely born infants and those with complex medical conditions. Nothing could have prepared us for the heartbreaking reality of providing milk to babies whose mothers have been murdered, abducted, injured, or called to fight,” shared one of the advocates involved in the bank’s creation.
Per the guidelines issued by the Health Ministry, the breast milk bank will provide breast milk to babies up to six months of age whose mothers have been killed, injured, kidnapped, are missing, or have been called to serve in the IDF reserves.
Breast milk will also be made available to babies aged six months to a year whose mothers are missing or serving in the IDF reserves if they have allergies or sensitivities to formula. Additionally, injured or ill infants up to one year old will receive breast milk if a doctor certifies it as necessary for their recovery.
In cases where the feeding history of the baby is unknown, they will be eligible for breast milk from the bank as long as the security situation and supply permit.
Donations of breast milk are required to meet specific pumping and storage standards to ensure quality and safety. Detailed information on these requirements is available on the breast milk bank’s website.
Ido Nagar, whose wife, Céline Ben-David Nagar, went missing from the Supernova music festival near Re’im, where 260 people lost their lives on Saturday, expressed his gratitude in a Facebook post. Many individuals reached out to him after seeing him interviewed on Hebrew news television.
Nagar was at home with his six-month-old daughter when a stranger arrived with a cooler filled with bags of breast milk. The cooler was accompanied by a note that read, “All of Israel is united! Stay strong. We stand with you,” Nagar said.
While acknowledging the good intentions behind such acts, the MDA milk bank urges people to make their donations through the official channels to ensure that proper standards are maintained to safeguard the health of the babies receiving the milk.
