Regev was born in Kiryat Gat in 1965 to Sephardi Jewish immigrants. She went to Rogozin Highschool in Kiryat Gat. Her father, Felix, was from Morocco and her mother, Mercedes, was from Spain. In 1983, she joined the Gadna, where she became a platoon commander, serving in the position until 1986. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Informal Education and an MBA.

She began serving as the IDF Spokesperson’s representative in the Israeli Southern Command. Regev was promoted to a Colonel rank for the position of Deputy IDF Spokesperson in 2002. In 2003, she was appointed coordinator of the national public relations efforts at the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office in preparation for the Iraq War. After a short stint (2004–2005) as the Chief Press and Media Censor, she was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and to the position of IDF Spokesperson in 2005. She served in this position during Israel’s disengagement from Gaza in 2005 and the 2006 Lebanon War. In 2007, she was discharged and was succeeded by Avi Benayahu.

In November 2008, Regev joined the Likud party, saying that she had been a supporter of the party’s platform for many years. She won twenty-seventh place on the party’s list for the 2009 elections, just high enough to enter the Knesset as Likud won 27 seats. At the 2015 elections Regev was re-elected, after being placed fifth on Likud’s national list. She was subsequently appointed by prime minister Netanyahu to Minister of Culture and Sport in the new government.

In May 2012, at a demonstration against illegal immigrants in Tel Aviv, Regev said that “Sudanese infiltrators are a cancer in the nation’s body”. She later said that the quote was misrepresented, and, while justifying the comparison, apologized for seeming to compare human beings to cancer.

In September 2015, four months in office, Regev announced a list of criteria that will cause the withdrawal of state funding the following year. The list included the deformation of state symbols and a call for boycotting Israel.

In July 2016, Regev announced that she would not participate in the 2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremonies, because they take place on Shabbat.

At the closing ceremony of the 2017 Maccabiah Games on July 18, 2017, Regev passed the Maccabiah torch to a number of Maccabiah athletes.

In May 2020, Regev was offered the portfolio of Minister of Transportation for the first half of the 35th government of Israel and the portfolio of foreign minister during the second half of the incoming government’s term. She was sworn in to this position on 17 May 2020.