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Key things to know about Israel's election

After polls close late Tuesday, the jostling for power is likely to begin — between parties small and big — to achieve a governing coalition and name the next prime minister.

Israelis are voting on whether to oust Netanyahu in first election since Oct. 7 attack

Israelis are voting in a pivotal election Tuesday as their country wrestles with unresolved wars, continues to reel from Hamas' 2023 attack and is deeply divided over the character of the state and the right person to lead it.

Israel’s Election: When Will We Know Who Will Be Prime Minister?

28 October 2026 at 14:15
Most votes were expected to be counted by Wednesday, but forming a government could take weeks of negotiations — or require another election.

© Jalaa Marey/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The Key Election Issues Dividing Israelis as They Vote

27 October 2026 at 12:02
The question of accountability for the government’s failures in the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, looms over the election.

© David Guttenfelder/The New York Times

Ultra-Orthodox Israelis protesting military conscription for members of their community in Jerusalem last year.

Major Israeli TV networks revise polling projections – as it happened

This blog had now closed – our live Israel election results coverage continues here

Across Israel, voting is now under way. Here are some of the latest images being sent to us over the newswires:

Tens of thousands of Israelis living abroad have flown in for the elections, according to Aid Coalition, a US-based nonprofit focused on strengthening Israel’s democracy. Israeli law generally requires citizens to vote in person in the country, with narrow exceptions for diplomats and certain official emissaries abroad.

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© Photograph: Shir Torem/Reuters

© Photograph: Shir Torem/Reuters

© Photograph: Shir Torem/Reuters

In Israel’s Election, It’s Nationalism vs. Founding Ideals

27 October 2026 at 17:10
As Israel votes, ever more strident hard-right views compete with hopes for a diverse land. The outcome could shape the country’s identity for years.

© Avishag Shaar-Yashuv for The New York Times

A banner for the Likud party and its leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, with the slogan, “The Right or Palestine.” Other candidates in the elections are to the left of it.

Netanyahu faces Israeli voters in first election since Oct. 7 and Gaza war

Israelis will go to the polls on Tuesday in what many describe as the most consequential election in years. It's the first vote since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and Israel's war in Gaza. Prime Minister Netanyahu has been campaigning that he'll keep Israel safe. But the opposition says Netanyahu failed to prevent the 2023 attack and is blocking an investigation into it. Nick Schifrin reports.

Netanyahu Pushed for Attack on Iran Ahead of Israeli Election, Officials Say

Israel’s military chief resisted the prime minister, who then pressed in recent days for a separate action, short of an overt strike, according to an official and a person briefed on the matter.

© Jack Guez/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A campaign billboard in Tel Aviv depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump on Monday, the eve of Israel’s national election.

Tens of thousands of Israelis living abroad are expected to fly in for pivotal vote

Tens of thousands of Israelis living abroad are expected to fly in for this month's election. That's according to AID Coalition, a U.S.-based nonprofit focused on strengthening Israel's democracy.

Netanyahu denies allegations he's escalating tensions with Iran before Israel's election

Israelis are in the final hours of an intense election season amid reports of a clash between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli military over Iran.

Israel’s Future

26 October 2026 at 13:51
We look at what’s at stake in tomorrow’s elections.

© Jack Guez/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images; Pool photo by Ronen Zvulun

Gadi Eisenkot and Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli Jews Across the Spectrum Face an Election of Fears

26 October 2026 at 07:01
Supporters and opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have expressed intense anxieties about isolation abroad, security at home and the future of Israel’s identity.

© Avishag Shaar-Yashuv for The New York Times

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, speaking to supporters in the food court of a shopping mall in Holon, Israel, during a campaign visit this month.

Israel’s High-Stakes Election: What to Know

25 October 2026 at 12:01
Israelis head to the polls on Tuesday for an election that will determine the country’s next prime minister. But it can take weeks, months or longer to form a new government.

© Amir Cohen/Reuters

Campaign billboards featuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot this month in Kiryat Malachi, Israel.
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