Netanyahu Reserves Likud Spots For Wounded War Hero, Mother Of Fallen Hero And Top Lawyer

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reserved places on the Likud’s Knesset slate for two prominent Israeli figures whose personal stories have become closely associated with the country’s war experience: Elisha Medan, a reservist who lost both legs in combat in the northern Gaza Strip, and Talik Gvily, the mother of an Israeli police officer who was killed on October 7 and whose body was held in Gaza for more than two years.

The appointments were reported Tuesday as Likud prepares its slate for the upcoming elections. Haaretz, Ynet, Channel 13 and Israel Hayom all reported on the new reserved slots.

Medan, the son of Yeshivat Har Etzion’s Rabbi Yaakov Medan, is a reservist combat soldier and one of the founders of the community of Avigayil in the southern Hebron Hills. He was critically wounded during an operational mission in Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza in 2023. Four of his fellow soldiers were killed in the same incident, while Medan suffered injuries that resulted in the loss of both of his legs. Since then, he has undergone a lengthy and difficult rehabilitation process and has become a prominent symbol of resilience and recovery.

Medan has continued public activity alongside his rehabilitation, speaking about his experiences and encouraging others coping with trauma and disability. He was previously selected to light a ceremonial Independence Day torch in recognition of his contribution to Israel’s rehabilitation and recovery efforts and has received honors for his bravery and public work.

Ynet reported that Netanyahu personally informed Medan of the decision to reserve him a place on the Likud slate. The move effectively takes Maden from the battlefield into the political arena, where he is expected to be one of the more recognizable new faces on the Likud list.

Netanyahu also reserved a place for Talik Gvily, the mother of Israel Police officer Ran Gvily, who was killed fighting Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023.

Ran Gvily, a member of the Negev Police Special Patrol Unit, was 24 when he was killed near Kibbutz Alumim. According to the IDF, he fought against Hamas terrorists after the attack began and was killed after engaging the attackers and killing 14 of his adversaries. His body was subsequently kidnapped into Gaza.

For more than two years, his family campaigned for his return. In January 2026, Israeli forces launched Operation Brave Heart to locate and recover his remains. After an extensive operation and forensic identification, the IDF announced on January 26 that Guily had been brought back to Israel for burial. He had been held in Gaza for 843 days.

His return marked a major symbolic moment: Gvily was the last Israeli hostage, living or deceased, remaining in Gaza. With his recovery, Israel announced that all hostages from the October 7 attack had been returned.

At his funeral, President Isaac Herzog described Gvily as a hero who had fought to defend his country on the morning of October 7 and whose return finally allowed him to be laid to rest in Israel.

Throughout the long period in which her son’s body remained in Gaza, Talik Gvily became a prominent public figure, speaking about Ran’s courage and campaigning for the return of Israeli hostages. She was also selected to light an Independence Day torch, in recognition of her family’s story and her public efforts.

Her decision to enter politics represents another transition from the October 7 tragedy into public life. If elected, Gvily would bring to the Knesset the perspective of a bereaved mother whose son fought and died on the first day of the war and whose remains were held in Gaza for 843 days.

The two appointments fit a broader effort by Netanyahu to bring new public figures into the Likud slate ahead of the next election. Haaretz reported that Netanyahu still has additional reserved slots to fill.

For Likud, the choices also carry a clear symbolic message: Medan represents wounded soldiers and the rehabilitation of those injured in the war, while Gvily represents the families of those killed and taken hostage on October 7, and the state’s eventual effort to bring the last hostage home.

The Likud party alos announced Tuesday that it has reserved a spot on its Knesset slate for attorney David Peter, a constitutional and public-law specialist who has represented the government and senior ministers in several cases before Israel’s High Court of Justice.

Peter, who is religious, holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Bar-Ilan University and is currently pursuing a doctorate there. His legal career has focused on constitutional, public and commercial law, as well as legal research and litigation.

In recent years, Peter has become a prominent conservative legal commentator and has been associated with the Kohelet Policy Forum. He has represented the government and individual ministers in high-profile legal battles, including cases involving Justice Minister Yariv Levin and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. The Justice Ministry has also formally contracted him to provide separate representation for Levin in proceedings before the High Court.

Peter has been a vocal critic of judicial activism and of aspects of the Attorney General’s legal oversight of the government. His recent appearances in politically charged Supreme Court proceedings have raised his public profile, particularly among right-wing circles.

Peter was born in Hungary toward the end of the communist era and is a second-generation descendant of Holocaust survivors. His parents were born and raised under communist rule. When he was a year and a half old, his family immigrated to Israel, initially living at an absorption center in Mevaseret Zion before moving to Haifa, where he grew up.

Likud said that his family’s journey from life under communism to the establishment of a free and sovereign Jewish state has remained an important influence on his worldview and public work.

The party described Peter as bringing “legal depth, a sense of mission and a deep connection between the story of the Jewish people and the State of Israel” to public life.