Fallen IDF soldier's donated organs save Israeli lives

The organs of a 20-year-old soldier who was mortally wounded during Hamas’s terror campaign in Israel’s South on October 7 have gone on to change the lives of five other people, Israel’s National Transplant Center said on Wednesday.

After being wounded, the soldier, Shoham Ben Harush, was rushed to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Jerusalem for emergency treatment.

Despite the efforts of the doctors, however, he succumbed to his wounds.

In the wake of the loss, Ben Harush’s family requested that his organs be donated to save the lives of others.

The enormous impact of Shoham's organ donation

Because of this donation, five others received organs they critically needed.

At Sheba Medical Center, a 48-year-old was able to receive a heart transplant, a 59-year-old was able to receive a corneal transplant, and a 57-year-old received a kidney transplant.

At Hadassah-University Medical Center, a 61-year-old was able to get a liver transplant and at Petah Tikva’s Beilinson Hospital, another kidney transplant was made possible for a 69-year-old who needed it. 

"Shoham is our fifth child out of six. He was good-looking and good-hearted, a cheerful and humble young man,” Harush’s father Ilan said. “We knew he wanted to serve in combat units. He served in the Nahal Brigade’s reconnaissance unit and stayed on Shabbat for Simchat Torah. I heard stories that he fought bravely at the Kerem Shalom outpost to prevent terrorists from infiltrating.”

In addition, Ben Harush’s sacrifice for the State of Israel went far beyond the line of duty.

“Regarding the organ donation,” the bereaved father said. “I had a dilemma between the importance of the matter and the emotional response that said, 'Don't touch my child.' When I heard from my wife, Shoham 's mother, that he wanted to donate his organs, I realized that he saw beyond what I saw, and I trusted his decision. The knowledge that he saved lives provides comfort alongside the great pain."