Parents Leave Sick Newborn at Rehovot Government Office Over ID Delays
Parents in Rehovot left their two-week-old infant at a local government office out of desperation after failing to secure an identity number and medical care for the sick newborn.
A two-week-old infant was left behind at the Population and Immigration Authority office in Rehovot by parents who told a clerk they no longer wished to raise the child. Police officers summoned to the scene quickly tracked down the couple and brought them in for questioning.
According to the father, the drastic measure was born out of utter desperation after failing for a week to obtain an identity number for his newborn son, which prevented the infant from receiving necessary medical care. Witnesses at the local office recounted that the parents handed the baby to a clerk, declared they refused to raise him, and walked out.
The father, identified as a temporary resident, explained that since his son's birth two weeks prior, he had struggled to secure official registration. Without an identity number, local health clinics and pediatric centers repeatedly refused to admit the ailing newborn.
«My child is sick, what would you prefer, that he dies in my hands?» the father stated following the incident. «I brought dozens of documents, then they demanded originals and sent me around in circles for a week. I said I am leaving him here because I cannot take him without an ID number.»
Following police intervention, officers contacted a hospital to coordinate care. The father confirmed that the baby is currently back in the custody of his parents and is finally receiving the medical attention he urgently required.
