Israel welcomed its first baby of 2026 just one minute after midnight at Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus in Jerusalem, hospital officials announced.
The newborn is the fifth child of Shira-Leah and Uri Rozman, who posed for photos with medical staff shortly after the birth. Hospitals across the country also reported multiple New Year’s babies arriving within the first hours of 2026.
At Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot, Almo Inguda, 40, from Ashdod, gave birth to a baby boy at 1:36 a.m. Her son is the first baby born at the hospital this year and her fifth child overall.
Inguda, who immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia, said the timing carried personal meaning. “When we immigrated, many family members were officially recorded as being born on January 1,” she said. “I didn’t want that, but it’s not something you can control.”
At Shamir Medical Center, nurse Karin Shalkov and her husband, pediatrician Dr. Lior Shalkov, welcomed a baby boy at 1:11 a.m., making the moment especially meaningful for the hospital staff.
Medical centers nationwide reported smooth deliveries as the country marked the beginning of the new year with celebration and new life.
