Israel votes in first parliamentary election since 7 October attacks
Polls opened on 27 October for Israel's Knesset election, the first since the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023. Surveys suggest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition will lose its majority, though the opposition may also fall short of the seats needed to govern.
Israelis began voting on 27 October in elections for the Knesset, the country's 120-seat parliament. It is the first national vote since the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023, Israel's subsequent war in Gaza, and its war against Iran fought together with the United States. Many Israelis call it the most consequential election in the country's history, and it is widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership since the attacks.
What the polls show
Most polls indicate that the coalition of Netanyahu, who is 76, will lose its majority. The opposition bloc, however, will probably also fall short of the 61 seats required to form a government.
Personal stakes for Netanyahu
Netanyahu has headed the most far-right government in Israel's history. He is on trial in three separate corruption cases, which are continuing. US President Donald Trump has called for a pre-emptive pardon and has written to Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Netanyahu's behalf.
Wartime and regional backdrop
On 7 October 2023, Hamas militants broke out of Gaza and killed nearly 1,200 people, most of them civilians. The Israeli military's assault on Gaza has killed at least 75,000 people and has been described as genocide by a UN commission, academics, legal scholars and Israeli and international rights groups. This year's war on Iran set off a global energy crisis that is still ongoing, and has killed thousands of people, mainly in Lebanon and Iran.
Under Netanyahu's government, deadly violence by extremist settlers in the occupied West Bank has surged. Settlement expansion has featured in his re-election campaign, yet it also drives Israel's growing international isolation, with many traditional allies condemning "settler terrorists" and announcing plans for sanctions.
