46 first-time lawmakers sworn into Israel's new parliament

When the new Israeli parliament convenes for its opening session on Tuesday, 46 of the 120 members will take their seats as first-time legislators. This group spans the political spectrum, including former security officials, educators, and reservists. A large portion of these newcomers have a direct personal connection to the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war.

The class of 2026 is the largest cohort of new members since 2019, when 49 first-time legislators were elected. The number is double the 23 newcomers elected in 2022. Many of these individuals entered public life after years of activism, lobbying for hostage releases or policy reforms following the attack. They now hold positions that allow them to pursue legislative change from within the government.

Fifteen of the 21 incoming members of the Yashar party are first-time lawmakers. The group includes Yoram Cohen, who led the Shin Bet security agency from 2011 to 2016, and Maj. Gen. (res.) Kamil Abu Rukun, a former Druze head of the IDF’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. Shira Shapiro, ranked 10th on the list, lost her son Aner Shapiro, a 22-year-old soldier who was killed while defending a bomb shelter near the Nova music festival. She described her entry into politics as a response to the national trauma.

Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot is not a newcomer, but his term in the previous Knesset was brief compared to his military career. Eisenkot lost his son and two nephews in battle. He resigned from the war cabinet in June 2024, citing outside political considerations that blocked wartime decisions. At his party's launch event in June, he described the nation as being in the embrace of those wounded forever.

Likud is adding five new members to its faction. The group includes Jacob Bardugo, a political commentator, and David Peter, a lawyer who has represented the government in court. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally selected Talik Gvili and Elisha Madan for reserved slots. Gvili, ranked ninth, is the mother of police officer Ran Gvili, who was killed on October 7 and held in Gaza for more than 800 days. Gvili aligned with Likud despite criticism from other bereaved families, crediting Netanyahu for securing her son's return.

Elisha Madan, ranked 15th, lost both legs in a 2024 tunnel explosion in Gaza. He helped found the settlement of Avigail in the South Hebron Hills. In an interview with Makor Rishon, Madan praised the military's achievements, stating that all hostages had been returned and that Israel controlled 60 percent of the Gaza Strip.

B’Yachad will add six new members, three of whom were personally affected by the war. Noam Tibon, a retired major general, led a rescue mission for his family at Kibbutz Nahal Oz during the attack. He has advocated for drafting ultra-Orthodox men into the military and for a state commission of inquiry into the failures of October 7. Michal Hirsch Negri, ranked seventh, lost her son Roee, a reserve officer killed at Kibbutz Be’eri. Yonatan Shalev, ranked 10th, is the 23-year-old set to become the youngest member of the Knesset. He co-founded a reservists' group campaigning against military exemptions.

Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu party has three new members. Rafi Ben Shitrit, ranked second, is the father of Staff Sgt. Shimon Alroy Ben Shitrit, who was killed defending the Nahal Oz base. Ben Shitrit has called for a state commission to investigate the attack. Sharon Sharabi, ranked sixth, lost one brother, Yossi, in captivity after both were abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri. Sharabi joined the party, citing a deep responsibility toward Israeli society.

The Democrats party, led by Yair Golan, has two first-time members. Golan gained recognition for rescuing people at the Nova festival site on the morning of October 7. The party had initially sought to bring in Einav Zangauker, the mother of former captive Matan Zangauker, who is a vocal critic of the government's handling of the hostage crisis.