Updated

Israelis vote in a general election on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a close challenge from former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, who is running neck and neck with him in polls. Netanyahu, 77 and Israel's longest-serving prime minister, is trying to persuade voters he is still the one who can keep them safe, after his security reputation was badly damaged by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack. Eisenkot, 66, has channelled public anger over that failure, and his low-key, military style is seen by some voters as an asset. Al-Monitor profiled both men ahead of the vote. The Times of Israel reported that first-time voters could decide up to 12 Knesset seats, with over 80 percent of young Israelis saying they would definitely vote. The Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli expats in the Bay Area are flying home to vote, and that Netanyahu's cousin Nathan Netanyahu said he will not vote for Likud, citing the party's conduct in the moral-public sphere. Haaretz framed the vote as one that could end Netanyahu's rule.