Summary

  • There's been very high turnout in Israel's pivotal general election, with voting due close in less than one hour

  • Polls are due to close at 22:00 local time (20:00 GMT) - but those already in line will still be able to vote

  • It is Israel's first legislative election since the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023. All 120 seats in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, are up for grabs

  • A party must hold 61 to have a majority, but this has never happened in the country's history and governments are typically made up of coalitions

  • Israeli exit polls are expected as soon as polls close, with preliminary results expected on Wednesday - official results are scheduled to be published at the start of November

  • Polling released on Friday suggests incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu is almost neck-and-neck with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot in the race to become prime minister

Live Reporting

Edited by Jamie Whitehead and Ben Hatton

  1. If no-one wins this election, how long could Netanyahu stay on?

    Raffi Berg
    Middle East digital editor

    Benjamin Netanyahu in front of a multi coloured back drop.EPA

    If neither current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition wins a majority of seats, Netanyahu will stay on as caretaker PM as attempts are made to form a government.

    President Isaac Herzog will nominate the party leader whom he thinks stands the best chance of being able to do this.

    This is a process which can take several months. If no candidate can form a government capable of winning the confidence of parliament, fresh elections will be called, and the process repeated.

    In theory, this means Netanyahu could continue as caretaker prime minister for months and even years, with most of his powers.

    This has actually previously happened: Netanyahu himself holds the record for length of time serving as a caretaker prime minister, for a year and a half between December 2018 and May 2020.

    In that period, three indecisive elections were held, until Netanyahu finally formed a unity government with his main political rival.

  2. 'No justification' to extend voting hours, elections committee says

    The Central Elections Committee has decided not to extend voting hours in the Israeli elections.

    In a statement, the committee says it met this evening and decided "the current circumstances do not justify an extension".

    It adds the high turnout "reflects strong public engagement in the democratic process" and "no need to extend voting hours was identified".

    Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and several other right wing parties had asked for voting to be extended beyond 22:00 (20:00 GMT).

    It came after the Israeli prime minister posted on social media about a reportedly high turnout among Arab voters.

    Netanyahu labelled it an "emergency" and a "matter of life or death" for the Israeli right, and called on his supporters to get out and vote.

  3. Record turnout so far, Israeli media reports

    Israeli citizens cast their ballots at a polling station in Nazareth, Israel, during the general elections on October 27, 2026Getty Images

    As of 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT), the estimated national voter turnout was 66.7% according to Israel's Central Elections Committee.

    Israeli broadcaster N12 reports that this is the highest ever recorded turnout at this point on election day since 1973, when hourly turnout recording began.

    As a reminder, polls are set to close in Israel at 22:00 local time (20:00 GMT).

  4. Who are the major parties?

    Likud - The governing right-wing party founded in 1973. Led by PM Benjamin Netanyahu continuously since 2005 and has been in power for all but one year since 2009.

    Yashar - Centrist party formed in 2025 by Gadi Eisenkot. The retired Israeli army chief’s son was killed fighting in Gaza. Leader of the anti-Netanyahu "Change bloc".

    Beyachad - Centre-right party formed in April 2026, led by former PM Naftali Bennett. Part of the anti-Netanyahu "Change bloc".

    The Democrats - Left-leaning party founded in 2024, led by former Israeli army deputy chief of staff Yair Golan. Part of the anti-Netanyahu "Change bloc".

    Yisrael Beiteinu - A right-wing secular, nationalist party, founded in 1999. Led by Avigdor Lieberman. Part of the anti-Netanyahu "Change bloc".

    Otzma Yehudit - Far-right nationalist party founded in 2012. Led by National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir. Willing to join a Netanyahu coalition.

    Religious Zionist Party – Far-right nationalist party founded in 2021. Led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Willing to join a Netanyahu coalition.

    Ultra-Orthodox parties – Shas, founded in 1984, and United Torah Judaism (UTJ), founded in 1992, are the main parties, historically politically allied with Netanyahu. The Haredi Public Party, founded in July 2026, as an alternative to Shas and UTJ, is also running. Willing to join a Netanyahu coalition.

    United Arab List - A conservative, Arab-led party with Islamist roots, United Arab List (Ra'am) was founded in 1996. Led by Mansour Abbas. Willing to be part of a non-Netanyahu coalition.

    Joint List - An alliance of three mostly Arab parties, led by Yousef Jabareen. Willing to support a non-Netanyahu coalition from outside government.

  5. Israel's leaders and election contenders cast their votes

    Israeli politicians have also been casting their votes today alongside the public.

    As a reminder, it’s the first general election in Israel since the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023.

    Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal Herzog place ballot papers in a light blue box. An Israeli flag hangs behind them, a man looks onReuters

    Israeli President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal voted at a polling station in Jerusalem today

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara cast their votesEPA/Shutterstock

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voted in Jerusalem alongside his wife Sara

    Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot and his wife Hannah cast their voteReuters

    Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot and his wife Hannah cast their votes in Herzliya

    Yousef Jabareen of the Joint List party casts his voteReuters

    Yousef Jabareen of the Joint List party casts his vote in the Arab city of Umm al-Fahm in Israel's Haifa district

    Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett votingEPA/Shutterstock

    Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the B'Yachad party, voted in the Israeli city of Ra'anana

  6. Analysis

    Security, conscription and judicial reform have all been key issues

    Tom Bennett
    In Jerusalem

    Benjamin Netanyahu holds a microphone as he waves. He is wearing a red tie and dark suitReuters

    Benjamin Netanyahu has again framed himself as "Mr Security"

    Security has been the topic dominating campaigning.

    Netanyahu's challengers have all heavily criticised the security failures that led to the 7 October attacks, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken back to Gaza as hostages.

    Nevertheless, Netanyahu has once again framed himself as "Mr Security", pointing to strategic victories in Israel's wars since 2023.

    Conscription is also a major topic. Historically, ultra-Orthodox Jewish men in full-time religious study have been exempt from military service, but since war broke out this has become an increasingly divisive policy.

    Judicial reform has also featured heavily during the campaign. Netanyahu's government is still pursuing contentious plans for reforms to the judicial system, which led to mass protests before 7 October.

    Critics say the plans would compromise the independence of the judiciary and threaten democracy.

    As in many countries, cost of living is another key issue. Food and housing costs have grown steadily in recent years.

  7. What is the Knesset and how are seats allocated?

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    Israel uses a system of proportional representation to elect political parties its parliament, called the Knesset.

    There are 120 seats in the Knesset, which are allocated in direct proportion to the number of votes a party receives nationally. People vote for a single party, not individual candidates.

    The party provides a ranked list of its candidates and they are given Knesset seats depending on the party's final seat total.

    A single party has never won enough of the 120 seats to command a majority, which means every government is a coalition of at least two parties.

    This gives the smaller parties considerable power to make or break a coalition government.

  8. Israel votes in its first general election since 7 October attacks

    A woman casts her vote in the city of Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, 27 October 2026.EPA/Shutterstock

    Israeli voters are turning out in record numbers so far in what many view as one of the most pivotal elections in the country's history.

    Half a million first-time voters are expected to have cast their ballot, with some 70,000 Israelis reportedly flying in from abroad to vote.

    It's the first election since the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks, in which Hamas-led gunmen stormed through Gaza's border fence killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage, and the subsequent wars and conflicts across the region - in Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.

    The campaign has been shaped by the issues of democracy and security, and the election is widely being seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rule.

    His right-wing Likud party have focused their campaign around the slogan "No Surrender", insisting Netanyahu is the only candidate who can keep the country safe.

    Gadi Eisenkot, of the centrist Yashar party, is considered the politician who has the best chance of beating him. The retired military chief has focused his campaign on protecting democracy in Israel.

    Polling published on Friday suggests it's almost neck-and-neck between the two men in the race to be the next prime minister.

    We'll bring you updates and analysis throughout.