Israelis vote on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, in elections for the 26th Knesset — the first national ballot since the 7 October 2023 attack. Voters are effectively deciding Benjamin Netanyahu’s fate, with no final result announced yet.

According to AFP, carried by Dawn, the last polls published before election day showed Netanyahu, 77, running neck and neck with his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief leading the Yashar party. About 7.3 million people are eligible, including more than half a million first-time young voters.

The campaign unfolded after three years of multi-front wars, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and growing international isolation. Netanyahu stressed security credentials and his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump; Eisenkot has pledged an independent state inquiry into the 7 October failures — something the current government has resisted.

No party has ever alone won the 61 seats needed in the 120-member parliament. Campaign analysis says coalition-building could take weeks or months, and predominantly Arab lists — representing about 21% of the population — could become kingmakers if the race is tight, though neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot has publicly said they would partner with them.

Tens of thousands of Israelis abroad are estimated to have flown in to vote, agency reports say. President Isaac Herzog cast his ballot in Jerusalem as polling opened amid a deep divide between the premier’s right-wing bloc and the informal opposition around Eisenkot.

Critics of Netanyahu include his failure to take responsibility for 7 October and his backing of ultra-Orthodox parties defending draft exemptions. Eisenkot opposes a Palestinian state and supports settlements, while pledging to curb settler violence.

Until ballots are counted and coalitions negotiated, the outcome remains open: Tuesday is about turnout and stakes, not a confirmed winner. Any claim about the next government would be premature before official results.

Image: Knesset, Jerusalem (Wikimedia Commons).

Sources consulted: Israelis to decide Netanyahu’s fate in pivotal election today - Dawn; In Israeli election, Netanyahu's longtime leadership is on the line - AP News.