After two years of war in which New Year’s Eve was marked by deep pain and anxiety for soldiers at the front and the hostages in Gaza, Israelis went out overnight between Wednesday and Thursday to welcome the start of 2026. Unlike the past two years, when sirens sounded across the country at midnight, the night passed quietly.
Crowds of all ages gathered in Tel Aviv, filling bars and cafes along Rothschild Boulevard. Yuval Rabinovitz, 23, who splits her life between Kfar Saba and Berlin, chose to celebrate the New Year in Israel’s first Hebrew city with friends.
Celebrating the new year in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky, Lior Sharon)
“It feels more meaningful to celebrate here this year,” she said while sitting at the Robina bar. “You can feel the release with the hostages coming home and the end of the war, so there is something to celebrate and something to remember. I wish for unity. We are the people of Israel and we have no other country. I hope everyone does what’s good for them this year.”
Ofer Ein Gedi, 29, one of the owners of the Robina bar, said he returned just a month ago from a long reserve duty deployment in Syria, and described the past two years as especially difficult as a bar owner.
“At the same time, I was running this amazing place. What haven’t we been through here? Pandemics, wars, and here we are, welcoming everyone who wants to eat and drink,” he said. “This New Year’s Eve feels like every other New Year’s Eve, except that Ran Gvili is missing so the puzzle isn’t complete, like everyone else who has returned. I wish us quiet, health, happiness and joy, and the rest will follow.”
Idan Drori, 22, from Ramat Gan, said his older brother has just returned from reserve duty, making it easier for him to go out and celebrate. “There’s a sense of relief now. I’m here with friends and happy to be here. I wish for peace of mind, and that we won’t have to deal with things we shouldn’t have to deal with, or with worries like we’ve had over the past two years.”
Elite Abadi from Ramat Hasharon sat at the bar with her partner, Avner Aryeh from Ramat Gan, and said she had been waiting for this evening. “It’s really fun to go out after two years like the ones we’ve had and see happy people here,” she said. Avner wished for overcoming obstacles in the coming year: “I hope all the divisions will be behind us, that we replace this crazy leadership, and that we stay healthy.”
Dvora Kalavres from Tel Aviv and Aylin Raznitsky from Zichron Yaakov said they had waited two years to go out on New Year’s Eve. “It feels good to go out after most of it is behind us,” Aylin said. “I feel fairly safe and it’s nice to reunite with everyone again. There was a lot of tension here, and now there’s a lot of joy.” Dvora added: “We wish for peace, that we can go out into the street and feel safe, that all the soldiers return home and that the wounded recover.”
Couple Shnir Shlisl, 25, from Moshav Sha’ar Efraim, and Adi Glazer, 25, from Rosh HaAyin, also went out to celebrate along Rothschild Boulevard. “Last year I wanted to go out but didn’t have the mood, and this year I do,” Adi said. Shnir added: “We’re happy that all the hostages are back in Israel, and we remember that there is still one last hostage in Gaza who must be brought home.”
Adi said her expectations for the new year were clear. “I’m expecting a nice ring by the end of next year,” she told her partner, and at midnight the two kissed as the new year began.
In Haifa as well, thousands went out to bars and restaurants in the Port Campus area under heavy security, with hundreds of police officers, volunteers and municipal inspectors deployed throughout. “After two very difficult years for the country, it’s time to celebrate a bit and change the atmosphere, hoping that 2026 will be much better than the past two years that were hard for all of us,” said Idit and Itai, who came to raise a glass at a bar at the entrance to the port complex.
Ronen, who also went out to mark the arrival of 2026, said in a packed bar: “No one knows what will happen soon with Iran, but for now it’s a good time to enjoy ourselves a little and welcome the new year, hoping for better days. Even the weather has been kind to us tonight.”