Police searching for mother of baby abandoned in Rahat

Police are searching for the mother of a week-old baby that was apparently abandoned in the Negev Bedouin town of Rahat yesterday. The baby was found at the entrance to a local mosque, wrapped in blankets.

The worshippers who found the baby then called the Magen David Adom emergency service. The baby was taken to Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva, where she was examined and found to be in good health.

Dr. Dani Landau of Soroka's pediatrics department said it appeared the baby had not suffered from neglect before she was abandoned. "She seems as though she received very good care," he said. The baby will remain under the care of hospital staff in the following days, until welfare services decide how to proceed.

The Welfare Ministry told Haaretz that cases of abandoned infants are very uncommon in Israel. Ministry Spokesman Nachum Ido said yesterday that the ministry's staff handle one or two such cases each year.

If police do not find the mother, the baby will be handed over to the care of one of the facilities operated by the Welfare Ministry. If police fail to find the mother in the following weeks, the infant will eventually be placed under foster care.

Police are proceeding to investigate cautiously, since the mother's life may be in danger, as has happened in the past in the Bedouin community. If the mother will be found, welfare services will have to decide whether the baby will be returned to her.