Polls have closed across the country. Exit polls may offer clues about the direction of the voting but not necessarily a clear winner.

© Ohad Zwigenberg/Associated Press

The next prime minister will have to cobble together a coalition.

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 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.

Most votes were expected to be counted by Wednesday, but forming a government could take weeks of negotiations — or require another election.

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Plus, why Halloween candy is scary expensive.

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

• Israel election results live updates

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

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.

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The new book by the reporter Matthew Cole connects $2 billion in slush funds from gulf state leaders to Trump’s son-in-law in an effort to influence U.S. policy.

© From left: Maxim Shipenkov/Pool via Reuters; Kylie Cooper/Reuters

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.

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

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.

The panel also accuses Israel of committing crimes against humanity in the West Bank. Israel condemned the report.

© Saher Alghorra for The New York Times