Israel welcomed its first babies of 2026 in the early minutes of the new year, with births reported at several hospitals across the country.

The first baby born in Israel in 2026 arrived at Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus at one minute past midnight, the hospital said. The newborn is the fifth child of parents Shira-Leah and Uri Rozman.

Additional births were reported shortly afterward at medical centers nationwide.

At Kaplan Medical Center, Almo Inguda, 40, of Ashdod, gave birth to a son at 1:36 a.m., according to the hospital. The baby, her fifth child, was the first born at Kaplan Medical Center in 2026.

Inguda said that when she immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia, many members of her family listed their birthdays as January 1 on official documents. “I didn’t want to give birth on that date,” she said, adding that the timing of a birth is ultimately not something that can be chosen.

At Shamir Medical Center, Karin Shalkov, a nurse at the hospital, and her husband, pediatrician Dr. Lior Shalkov, welcomed a baby boy at 1:11 a.m., the hospital said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)