According to Dr. Doron Dukler who heads the Saban Birth & Maternity Center at Beersheva’s Soroka Medical Center, in 2016, the hospital brought over 16.500 newborns into the world, placing the exact number of births at 16.662. He explains there were record-breaking months during the summer that account for the high number. He reported that by Sunday morning January 1, 2017, twenty-six children had already been born in the center, which serves greater S. Israel, including Arab and Bedouin communities which have high birthrates.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)