Three years after a devastating Hamas explosion in Gaza killed four of his fellow soldiers and cost him both legs, Elisha Medan is preparing to enter the Knesset as a Likud representative, determined to continue serving Israel despite the injuries that changed his life.
By Hezy Laing
Elisha Medan remembers concentrating on every breath as though it might be his last. Lying severely wounded on the floor of a building in Gaza, with both legs severed by an explosion, he recited the Jewish confession and the words of Shema Yisrael, convinced he was about to die.
“I was supposed to die. I received my life as a gift, and now I need to justify it,” he later said.
Nearly three years after that November 10, 2023, explosion, Medan is preparing for a very different mission: taking his place in Israel’s Knesset as a representative of the Likud party.
His journey from the battlefield to parliament is remarkable, but his story is also about faith, family, responsibility and a determination to keep contributing to the country he fought to defend.
A son of one of religious Zionism’s leading rabbis
Medan, 47, is the son of Rabbi Yaakov Medan, the prominent religious-Zionist educator and head of Yeshivat Har Etzion in Alon Shvut.
His upbringing was shaped by a family tradition of religious commitment and public responsibility. His father regularly involved his children in public demonstrations and early settlement initiatives, teaching them that when something important needs to be done, people must take responsibility themselves.
“I grew up with the understanding that if something needs to be established, someone has to get up and do it,” Medan explained in an interview with Makor Rishon.
That outlook followed him into adulthood. Medan became one of the founders of Avigail, a Jewish settlement in the southern Hebron Hills, and built a life combining religious commitment, family and public service.
He is married to Miri and is the father of six children.
The explosion that nearly ended his life
When Hamas launched its October 7 massacre, Medan joined the war as a reservist in the 551st Brigade, taking part in the early stages of the ground operation in Gaza.
On November 10, 2023, his unit entered a building in Beit Hanoun to inspect a suspected tunnel shaft. Moments after the soldiers entered, Hamas terrorists detonated a powerful explosive device concealed in the tunnel.
Four soldiers were killed: company commander Moshe Leiter, Matan Meir, Sergei Shmerkin and Yossi Hershkowitz, Medan’s closest friend in the unit. Six others were seriously wounded, including Medan.
In a March 2024 interview with Mako, Medan described the extraordinary pain of the explosion and the moments when he realized his legs had been severed.
“I remember concentrating on every breath as though it were my last,” he said. He remained conscious during his evacuation, even managing to give rescuers his name and military identification number.
After reaching Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, he underwent a series of operations lasting several days. When doctors finally awakened him, his mind still believed he was on the battlefield in Gaza, even though his body was now in a hospital bed.
A difficult recovery and a new mission
Medan spent approximately two months hospitalized at Shaare Zedek, followed by a year and two months in rehabilitation at Sheba Medical Center.
His recovery has been far from straightforward. After traveling to the United States for additional operations, he returned to Israel still facing complications, infections, phantom pain and difficulties adapting his prosthetic legs.
In an October 2026 interview with 103FM, he described how quickly he had adapted to living without legs, even though the reality remains difficult.
One of his most revealing observations concerned his dreams. Sometimes he dreams that he cannot find his wheelchair or walking sticks; in other dreams, he suddenly has legs again and cannot understand how.
He explained that wounded soldiers continue dealing with their injuries day and night, even when they appear strong to everyone around them.
Despite the challenges, Medan has continued looking ahead. In 2025, he was selected to light a torch at Israel’s Independence Day ceremony, recognizing his determination and contribution.
From the battlefield to the Knesset
Medan never originally planned to become a politician. However, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally approached him in September 2026 about joining the Likud list, he took a week or two to consider the offer before agreeing.
He was placed 15th on the party’s list, securing a seat after Likud won 27 seats in the October 2026 elections.
Medan says he wants to represent reservists, wounded soldiers and their families, ensuring that the people who have carried the burden of the war receive proper attention and support.
He has also emphasized the need to overcome political divisions and build bridges between different parts of Israeli society. His own experience, he believes, has changed the way he approaches disagreements and strengthened his desire to connect with people who hold different views.
On November 11, 2026, he is scheduled to begin his parliamentary service as a member of the 26th Knesset.
He has set himself another personal goal: to stand during the swearing-in ceremony and, eventually, regain the ability to walk functionally with his prosthetic legs.
For Medan, the transition from soldier to politician does not represent an end to his service. It is another opportunity to take responsibility for the future of the Jewish state.
