Israel elections 2026 live: Netanyahu and far-right coalition face first vote since October 7 and Gaza invasion

Israel elections 2026 live: Netanyahu and far-right coalition face first vote since October 7 and Gaza invasion Netanyahu said ahead of Tuesday’s elections that Trump was willing to take further action against Iran - if the Israeli prime minister remains in power - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in Benjamin Netanyahu faces his first election since the October 7 attacks on Tuesday, against a backdrop of a deeply divided Israeli society. Polls on Friday put the governing far-right coalition almost level with the main opposition bloc around the hawkish former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, with half a million first time voters due to cast their ballot. The election marks the first chance for voters to deliver a verdict on the worst security failure in generations as well as the wars that followed, with almost all Jewish-led parties now opposed to the ‘two-state solution’ that has long defined diplomacy with the Palestinians. Netanyahu, 77, boasted of his endorsement from Donald Trump on the eve of the election, suggesting that the US president was willing to “finally remove the Iranian threat” but only so long as Netanyahu himself remains in power. But the White House said that the United States would not be attacking Iran “at any time prior to the midterm elections” in November. The key players in Israel’s first election since October 7 Israelis are set to vote on October 27 in the first national elections since the deadly October 7 attacks, and the devastating Gaza war that followed. The Independent looks at the key figures in the looming election: Key players in Israeli election as Benjamin Netanyahu fights for his political life Good evening and welcome to our coverage of the Israeli election Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government faces an existential election on Tuesday as voters deliver their verdict three years since the country’s greatest security failure in generations. The opposition is clustered around centrist former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot. But he and an array of other parties ranging from the rump of the centre-left to the right, also have no clear path to unseat the survivalist Netanyahu. Follow along for our coverage of the Israeli legislative elections Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments