Six of Israel's New Lawmakers Lost a Son, Brother or Grandmother on Oct. 7
Bereaved parents and relatives from five different parties will take seats when the 26th Knesset is sworn in Nov. 10 in Jerusalem.
Learn more ›JERUSALEM —
Six people who lost close family members in the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023, are among the new members of Israel's parliament, the Knesset in Jerusalem, All Israel News reported Nov. 2. Four of the six had no established role in politics before the massacre, and they come from five different parties.
See where this is ›Tali Gvili, a family lawyer, enters the Knesset with Likud. Her son, Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, a police officer, was killed in combat on Oct. 7 defending Israel's border, and his body was carried into Gaza. His remains were recovered Jan. 26, 2026, in what Israel called Operation Brave Heart, and the hostage clock in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square stopped after 843 days.
Two newcomers sit with Yisrael Beitenu. Rafi Ben-Shitrit, who served more than 20 years on the Beit She'an City Council, including as mayor, lost his son Elroy, a combat soldier killed defending the Nahal Oz military base. He founded the October Council. Sharon Sharabi's brother Yossi was abducted from Kibbutz Be'eri and killed in Hamas captivity. Another brother, Eli, came home under a February 2025 ceasefire and learned that his wife and two daughters had been murdered in their home on Oct. 7.
See where this is ›Shira Shapira, an architect and urban planner who was most recently deputy director-general for Tekuma at Israel's Ministry of Heritage, joins Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party. Her son, First Sgt. Aner Shapira, was killed near the Nova music festival after throwing Hamas grenades back out of a roadside bomb shelter again and again, helping save people inside.
Michal Hirsch Negri, an educator and former director-general of the Ra'anana municipality, joins B'Yachad, led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid. Her son Roee was killed fighting at Kibbutz Be'eri. Roee had told his reserve unit, “We are here to save people. We are here to save our country,” according to the report, which cited Reuters.
Omri Ronen enters with The Democrats, led by Yair Golan. His grandmother Nina Ronen, a pioneer of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, was murdered in her home along with her Filipina caregiver, Angelyn Aguirre. Ronen, who fought along the southern border on Oct. 7, was already a leader of the protest group Brothers and Sisters in Arms and called this year's vote the “most fateful in Israel's history.”
The six will be sworn in with the rest of the 26th Knesset on Nov. 10, 14 days after the election. All Israel News, citing a Vote Smart breakdown, reported that 47 members, about 39 percent, are new to the chamber, as President Isaac Herzog weighs who should first try to form a government.
