Israel Election 2026: Israelis Vote as Eisenkot Leads Netanyahu in Final Polls

Update, 28 October 2026: Voting has closed and counting is under way. Read our results report: Israel Election Results: Netanyahu Bloc Leads as Count Continues.

Israelis are voting today, Tuesday 27 October 2026, in a Knesset election widely seen as the most consequential since the Hamas-led attack of 7 October 2023, with final polls putting former army chief Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar list narrowly ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud. Polls opened at 07:00 local time (05:00 GMT) and close at 22:00 (20:00 GMT), when the main broadcasters will publish exit polls.

More than 7.3 million people are eligible to vote for the 120-seat Knesset, according to Israel’s Central Elections Committee as reported by Anadolu Agency. Thirty-seven parties and lists are standing, and any coalition needs at least 61 seats to govern.

What Do the Final Polls Show?

An average of four weekend polls compiled by The Jerusalem Post gave the following seat projections for the largest lists:

• Yashar (Gadi Eisenkot): 22 seats
• Likud (Benjamin Netanyahu): 19.75 seats
• Together (Naftali Bennett): 14.5 seats
• The Democrats (Yair Golan): 9.5 seats
• Yisrael Beytenu (Avigdor Liberman): 8 seats

Grouped by bloc, the same average put the Zionist opposition on about 54 seats and Netanyahu’s governing bloc on about 49.5, with Arab-led parties on about 14.5. On those numbers, neither camp reaches 61 on its own, which is why analysts expect a difficult coalition-building period. In the final Kan 11 and Channel 12 surveys, Eisenkot led Netanyahu by 44% to 38% when respondents were asked who was better suited to be prime minister, Israel National News reported.

Polls are projections, not results. Small lists can fall below the 3.25% electoral threshold, and the votes they lose can shift the seat totals of the larger blocs.

Why Is This Election So Important?

It is the first general election since the 7 October 2023 attack and the wars that followed. According to the BBC, the campaign has turned on several issues:

• Accountability for 7 October: Netanyahu has resisted calls for a state commission of inquiry into the security failures.
• Military service: the exemption of ultra-Orthodox men from conscription has divided the coalition.
• Iran and regional security: Netanyahu has presented himself as the only leader who can protect Israel from a nuclear-armed Iran; Eisenkot called one of his final campaign posts “hysterical”.
• The courts: the government’s judicial overhaul plans remain contested.

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is also on trial on corruption charges, which he denies. His opponents have framed the vote as a referendum on his leadership, while Likud argues that only he can manage Israel’s security challenges.

Who Is Gadi Eisenkot?

Eisenkot is a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces who joined Benny Gantz’s emergency war cabinet after 7 October and later left it. His Yashar party, formed only last year, leads the so-called “change bloc” of parties that differ ideologically but share the goal of replacing Netanyahu. According to the BBC, Eisenkot takes a broadly similar line to Netanyahu on Gaza, pledging to end Hamas rule there within 18 months through a US-led peace plan or, if necessary, military means, while promising a crackdown on extremist settler violence in the West Bank.

When Will the Results Be Known?

Exit polls are expected shortly after voting ends at 22:00 local time. Official counting continues overnight, but the final picture may take several days: hundreds of thousands of soldiers and reservists are voting, and many of their ballots will not begin to be counted until Wednesday, according to the BBC, which noted that this could give a late boost to right-wing parties.

After the results are certified, President Isaac Herzog consults the parties and asks the candidate most likely to form a government to try. If no one can assemble 61 seats, Israel could face another election, as happened five times between 2019 and 2022. In that case Netanyahu would remain prime minister in a caretaker capacity until a new government is sworn in.

What Does It Mean for the Region?

The vote comes amid continued tension across the Middle East, including Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and the fragile shipping situation in the Gulf. Whoever leads Israel’s next government will shape its policy on Gaza, Iran and relations with Washington and the Gulf states.

For related coverage, read our reports on the Houthi missile attack on Riyadh and coalition strikes on Sanaa, Pakistan’s mediation role between the US and Iran and tanker attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.

MediaPavilion will update this story once exit polls and official results are published.

Featured image: Gary Todd / Wikimedia Commons, CC0. The Knesset building in Jerusalem; file photo.

Sources

• BBC News — Israel heads to polls for pivotal election defined by security and democracy (27 October 2026).
• The Jerusalem Post — Israel Election 2026: Gadi Eisenkot leads Benjamin Netanyahu but Knesset deadlock looms (26 October 2026).
• The Jerusalem Post — Polls open across Israel as voting begins in pivotal Knesset election (27 October 2026).
• Israel National News — Final Israeli election polls: Eisenkot leads, neither bloc secures majority (October 2026).
• Anadolu Agency — Morning Briefing: Oct. 27, 2026 (27 October 2026).