Somaliland President Abdirahman Irro visited nine Somaliland children receiving life-saving cardiac treatment in Israel, highlighting more than two decades of humanitarian cooperation that preceded formal diplomatic relations between Israel and Somaliland
HOLON, Israel — Amid a historic week that saw Somaliland formally establish a diplomatic presence in Jerusalem, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Irro) shifted focus from diplomacy to humanitarian cooperation on Wednesday, visiting Somaliland children undergoing life-saving cardiac treatment in Israel.
At the Save a Child’s Heart center in Holon, the Somaliland leader met nine children from Somaliland currently receiving specialized care at Wolfson Medical Center. The patients, ranging in age from three months to 18 years old, are undergoing complex surgeries and catheter-based interventions for congenital heart defects and rheumatic heart disease—treatments that remain difficult to access for many families in the Horn of Africa.
The visit highlighted a little-known partnership between Somaliland and Israel that predates formal diplomatic relations by more than two decades and has quietly saved dozens of young lives.
“This humanitarian cooperation began more than two decades before the political breakthrough that led to the establishment of official relations between Israel and Somaliland,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said, describing the medical program as one of the earliest and most enduring examples of cooperation between the two sides.
A Partnership Born From a Child’s Medical Emergency
According to Israeli officials, the relationship dates back to 2004 when a Somaliland representative in Ethiopia approached the Israeli Embassy seeking urgent medical help for his son, who was suffering from a serious heart condition.
Israeli diplomats connected the family with Save a Child’s Heart, an Israeli humanitarian organization specializing in pediatric cardiac care. The child subsequently received life-saving treatment in Israel.
“One of the most significant examples of humanitarian cooperation between Israel and Somaliland began in 2004,” the Foreign Ministry said.
What started as an emergency intervention gradually evolved into a long-term humanitarian partnership. Israeli officials say the Foreign Ministry has since helped facilitate treatment for 58 children from Somaliland through the program.
Save a Child’s Heart reports that since 2004 it has provided cardiac care to 49 children from Somaliland directly through its programs, with the pace of cooperation accelerating significantly in recent years.
Twenty Somaliland children received treatment in Israel during 2024, followed by another 19 in 2025—representing nearly 80% of all Somaliland patients treated through the organization since the partnership began.
New Medical Mission Brings Nine Children to Israel
The children President Abdirahman Irro met this week are the first patients selected during a June medical mission to Somaliland organized by Save a Child’s Heart in partnership with Edna Adan Hospital.
During the June 5–6 mission, pediatric specialists screened 20 children for congenital and acquired heart conditions. Nine were selected to travel to Israel for urgent treatment and are currently staying at the SACH Legacy Children’s Home in Holon while undergoing medical care.
The mission was organized with support from MASHAV, Israel’s international development agency.
During his visit, Abdirahman Irro met the children and their families, spoke with doctors and medical staff, and received briefings on ongoing cooperation between healthcare professionals in Somaliland and Israel.
Healthcare as a Pillar of Cooperation
Officials on both sides described healthcare cooperation as a foundation of the broader relationship now emerging between Somaliland and Israel.
“MASHAV has been a long-standing partner supporting the important work of the Save a Child’s Heart organization,” said Eynat Shlein.
“The health sector is a central pillar of cooperation between Israel and Somaliland, with an emphasis on capacity building and assistance,” she added.
The partnership has also involved prominent figures from both countries. In 2012, American physician Matthew Jones and the late Omar Dihod helped facilitate life-saving treatment for children from Hargeisa.
The initiative expanded further after 2021, when Adam Lee Goldstein visited Somaliland and strengthened ties with healthcare institutions there, including those established by renowned humanitarian and former Somaliland foreign minister Edna Adan Ismail.
‘Through This Friendship, We Will Continue to Save Lives’
For many involved in the program, this week’s presidential visit represented the culmination of years of humanitarian engagement that existed long before formal diplomatic recognition.
“Through this friendship, we will continue to save lives,” said Simon Fisher.
“In 2004, I met Somaliland’s head of mission to Ethiopia. He spoke about his hope for diplomatic relations between Somaliland and Israel. At the time, it seemed very difficult to imagine. Today, the president of Somaliland is here in Israel. That is incredibly inspiring.”
“We hope this growing relationship will help many more children receive life-saving treatment and strengthen the friendship between our peoples,” Fisher added.
Israeli businessman and philanthropist Sylvan Adams, whose support has helped fund pediatric cardiac care programs, described the initiative as a model for international cooperation.
“Healing hearts and saving lives is the ultimate form of people-to-people diplomacy,” Adams said.
“Every child treated represents hope, compassion and a bridge between communities that might otherwise never meet.”
President Offers Gratitude to Medical Teams
Following the visit, President Abdirahman Irro shared a message expressing appreciation for the medical professionals caring for the children.
“It was a privilege to visit Somaliland children receiving life-saving heart surgery in Israel and to witness firsthand care and treatment being provided to them,” he wrote.
“The courage, resilience, and smiles of these young children serve as a powerful reminder of the value of hope and the profound importance of saving human lives.”
He added: “I extend my sincere gratitude to the doctors, medical professionals, and all those whose humanitarian efforts have made it possible for these Somaliland children to receive the treatment they need.”
Humanitarian Ties Beyond Diplomacy
The visit came days after President Abdirahman Irro and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar inaugurated Somaliland’s embassy in Jerusalem, marking a major milestone in relations between the two governments.
Yet officials from both sides emphasized that the relationship was built long before embassies and diplomatic ceremonies.
“The strength of this relationship is that it is not only between governments, but between peoples,” Sa’ar said earlier this week. “It exists in the hearts of the people.”
For supporters of the partnership, the treatment of Somaliland children over the past two decades stands as evidence that humanitarian cooperation often precedes political breakthroughs. As relations expand into areas such as healthcare, development, trade and diplomacy, both governments increasingly point to these life-saving medical missions as the foundation upon which a broader partnership has been built.
