Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a crucial test of his political future as voters head to the polls, with his leadership under scrutiny following the October 2023 Hamas attack, years of war and mounting international pressure.
Despite the challenges, Netanyahu remains a powerful figure in Israeli politics after nearly two decades in office, with a firmly established right-wing support base and Israel’s fragmented political system potentially offering him another route to forming a government.
Opinion polls suggest a closely fought contest between Netanyahu’s Likud party and its right-wing allies and a rival bloc led by former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, who has attracted support from centrist and right-wing voters.
Polling stations opened at 7am local time and are scheduled to close at 10pm with millions of Israelis eligible to participate in the election.
Netanyahu has made his record during the country’s wars a central part of his campaign while also highlighting his relationship with US President Donald Trump, who has publicly backed him.
Speaking on Sunday, Netanyahu said Trump could take further action against Iran to “finally” eliminate what he described as the Iranian threat, while suggesting that such action could depend on him remaining in office.
Eisenkot, however, accused Netanyahu of running a campaign based on “fear-mongering, lies and threats,” while maintaining that Trump would cooperate with whichever leader Israeli voters choose.
Netanyahu could once again need the support of far-right politicians Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich to secure a governing coalition.
Both politicians have faced sanctions from Western governments over allegations of encouraging violence against Palestinians. Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party, however, has recorded stronger support in some opinion polls.
Neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot appears to have a straightforward path to forming a government. If neither side secures enough support to build a coalition in the 120-member parliament, Netanyahu could remain as caretaker prime minister until another election is held.
The Israeli Central Election Committee says about 7.3 million people are eligible to vote, including approximately 330,000 first-time voters.
The election comes after one of the most politically and socially divisive periods in Israel’s history, following the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led assault, the subsequent Israeli military campaign in Gaza and continuing disagreements over Netanyahu’s right-wing government.
For Netanyahu’s critics, accountability for the security failures surrounding the October 7 attack remains one of the central issues in the election. The assault became the deadliest day in Israel’s history.
Mali Hajaj, an Education Ministry employee who supports Eisenkot, said establishing a national commission of inquiry was essential to helping the country recover from the events.
Lisa Tortor, another voter, said she wanted Netanyahu to leave office so a new government could begin addressing what she described as the damage caused to Israel, its citizens and Jews around the world.
However, 18years old Likud supporter Nof Gabay defended Netanyahu and rejected the argument that the prime minister should be held responsible for the October 7 attack.
Gabay described Netanyahu as “the right man for the state of Israel” and said he had handled the war as effectively as possible.
The October 7 attack saw Hamas-led militants kill about 1,200 people and abduct 251 others, according to Israeli figures. Israel subsequently launched a military offensive in Gaza, where health authorities say Israeli attacks have killed about 74,000 people.
The conflict has also expanded beyond Gaza, with Israel carrying out major operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and exchanging attacks directly with Iran.
The confrontation included a 12-day Israeli campaign against Iranian nuclear facilities in 2025, followed by a joint US-Israeli war against Iran this year.
Eisenkot has said Israel’s next government must ensure that Iran does not acquire a military nuclear capability, either through military action or a diplomatic agreement backed by the United States.
Like most major Jewish-led political parties in Israel, Eisenkot does not support the two-state solution that has formed the basis of decades of negotiations aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He has, however, criticised violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, where attacks have increased since 2023 and contributed to tensions between Israel and several Western governments.
Eisenkot has also opposed Netanyahu’s partnership with far-right figures Ben-Gvir and Smotrich.
Meanwhile, some traditional Likud supporters have become increasingly critical of Netanyahu, with activists reportedly visiting neighbourhoods and speaking to voters in an effort to persuade them to reject his leadership.
Other voters have also grown disillusioned as Netanyahu continues to face corruption charges in a long-running criminal case, allegations he has denied.
A strong turnout among Israel’s Arab citizens, many of whom are of Palestinian descent, could also influence coalition calculations and potentially improve Eisenkot’s chances of challenging Netanyahu.
Although Eisenkot has ruled out forming a partnership with Arab political parties, citing differences in values, analysts believe Arab lawmakers could potentially support a minority government led by him if doing so helps remove Netanyahu from office.
Israeli political analyst Amotz Asa-El of the Shalom Hartman Institute said the election was likely to produce a closely divided outcome rather than a decisive victory for either side.
“I expect only a narrow majority for either side, rather than a decisive victory,” he said.
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