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There are more than 20,000 same-sex couples raising at least one child in Israel, according to New Family, a human rights organization working for legal recognition of equal rights for every type of family.

The Supreme Court set a precedent in 2005 when it ruled that two lesbians could adopt each other's children and become the children's joint parents, a decision that followed an eight-year legal struggle. The couple, Tal and Avital Yaros-Hakak, had lived together for 15 years, during which they gave birth to three children with sperm from anonymous donors.

The law does not extend to gay couples who raise a child conceived with a surrogate mother.