Israel election: voters pick a new Knesset in a vote billed as historic

The Israel election is under way on Tuesday, 27 October, as voters choose all 120 members of the Knesset.

Al Jazeera reports that this is the first general vote since the Gaza war began in October 2023. It describes the contest as widely billed as the most consequential in Israel’s history.

Who is on the ballot in the Israel election

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads the Likud party and a far-right coalition. He faces an opposition bloc that includes the Yashar party. Its leader is Gadi Eisenkot, a former army chief.

Israelis vote for party lists, not individual candidates. A bloc needs 61 seats to command a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. In practice, coalition talks after the count decide who becomes prime minister. Those talks can take weeks.

The final campaign push

The US outlet WNG reports that Eisenkot drew thousands of people to a rally in Tel Aviv before polling day. He said Netanyahu’s government has not dealt adequately with Hamas. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is promoting an endorsement from US President Donald Trump. Trump has called him an outstanding wartime leader.

The campaign also turned sharp. WNG reports that Netanyahu posted an AI-generated image of a mushroom cloud over Tel Aviv. It also reports that he criticised Eisenkot’s limited English. We have not verified the image’s origin or reach. Voters will judge such tactics for themselves.

Al Jazeera also links to analysis suggesting the race has shifted to the right. That framing is analysis, not a result. No turnout figure, exit poll or seat projection was available from our sources at the time of writing.

What to watch next: the first exit polls after the polls close, the final turnout figure, and which party leaders the president invites to try to form a government. Official results come from Israel’s Central Elections Committee.

Elections are also reshaping politics elsewhere. See our report on Lula’s fourth term in Brazil.

Fact basis: Al Jazeera live page (27 October 2026) and WNG Tuesday Morning News (27 October 2026). No results were available when this was written. We will report them once official.