Israel has banned the import of unfertilized and fertilized ova (eggs) from clinics in northern Cyprus, and requests for import will not be approved, Israel's Health Ministry announced this week.
The decision came after joint discussions with the Justice Ministry, during which officials concluded that it was not possible to certify the quality and adequacy of the ova or verify the process of ova donation in Cyprus, both in terms of clinical quality and the rights of the donor, the ministry said.
Problematic imports
There have been issues with fertilized egg import into Israel so far throughout 2024. In March, eggs imported from Georgia were found to be from a donor with Hepatitis B. The Georgian fertility clinic was not authorized by the Health Ministry, according to an investigation conducted by Maariv.
One of the imported fertilized eggs led to a stillbirth, and another led to a child being born with a heart defect.
Israel has strict rules on the import of eggs from abroad. The Health Ministry website has a list of clinics across the world from which imports are allowed.