Key facts
- Record voter turnout reported in Israeli elections.
- Bereaved families of Oct. 7 victims urged voters to remember losses at the ballot box.
- Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot described the current government as the "worst Israel has known."
- Tens of thousands of Israelis living overseas returned to vote.
- Palestinian Israeli voters are considered a critical camp that could hold the balance of power.
- Concerns raised about far-right election monitors attempting to slow down voting at Palestinian polling stations.
Israelis went to the polls in record numbers on election day, with the legacy of the October 7 attacks and deep societal divisions heavily influencing the vote. Bereaved families of victims gathered to call on voters to remember their loved ones, while opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot visited communities attacked on Oct. 7, urging a vote to oust the current government. Tens of thousands of Israelis living overseas returned to vote, supported by a "Fly&Vote" initiative, with many viewing the election as an existential choice for the nation. First-time voters, a significant demographic, are noted to lean rightwing and could bolster support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition. The Palestinian Israeli vote, representing about a fifth of eligible voters, is seen as a potential kingmaker, though opposition parties have ruled out forming a coalition with them. Concerns were raised about tactics by far-right election monitors at Palestinian polling stations aimed at slowing down the voting process.