Israel elections 2026 LIVE: Israelis vote to elect new govt, Netanyahu's rivals invoke October 7 in last-minute appeal

Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Taking to X, Naftali Bennett shared a picture of himself at a polling station in Ra'anana. Former prime ministers Naftali Bennett (2021-22) and Yair Lapid (July-December 2022) announced a joint ticket in April this year, which was later named B'Yachad (“Together”).

Bennett, 54, is poised to be prime minister if the party wins. Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Israel President Isaac Herzog has cast his ballot in the ongoing elections to the 120-member Knesset. Sharing a photograph of himself and his wife at the polling station, Herzog urged citizens to participate in the democratic process, saying, “We've already voted — and you?

Go out and vote.” Herzog will have a key role in the government formation process. Once the votes are counted, he will consult the leaders of elected parties before nominating the lawmaker he believes is best positioned to form a government.

The nominee will have 28 days to assemble a coalition, with a possible 14-day extension.(via ANI) Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Polling is in progress for Israel’s parliamentary elections, with total 7,336,553 people eligible to vote.

Authorities have established 6,209 polling stations accessible to voters across the country. Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Israel has deployed around 15,000 cameras to help electoral integrity inspectors monitor polling stations and document voting and counting procedures.

The safeguards aim to protect ballot secrecy and ensure voters can exercise their choices freely, without intimidation or undue influence. Voting screens and sealed, opaque envelopes prevent others from seeing how individuals vote.

The central elections committee has allocated 690 million shekels, approximately USD 223 million, for the election operation, including 12 million voting envelopes and 250 tonnes of paper for ballot materials.(Inputs from PTI) Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Families of those killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack and former hostages observed a moment of silence in Tel Aviv as Israelis voted in the national election on Tuesday.

“Remember all those whose voices are no more,” said Yona Adam, whose daughter Mapal Adam was killed in the attack, reported AP. Meanwhile, voters at a polling station in a Jerusalem school expressed divided opinions, with some calling for a change in leadership and others backing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over security concerns.

“He’s not responsible for Oct. 7,” said Nisim Cohen, a reservist who wants Netanyahu to win and continue the wars in Gaza, Lebanon and with Iran until Israelis can sleep peacefully. Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Israeli defence minister Israel Katz on Tuesday urged voters to support the government's security policies, saying the election presented a choice between an offensive approach and a return to "containment and appeasement".

Katz claimed that Israel had strengthened its security by striking Iran twice, expanding its security boundaries in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, and fortifying its eastern border and the Jordan Valley. "Erdogan and Israel's enemies are concerned about this power and determination—Israeli citizens must support it to complete the job," he said, adding, "Give us the power to continue and do it!" Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Israel could face weeks of coalition negotiations after Tuesday's election if neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's religious and ultranationalist alliance nor the opposition bloc secures a parliamentary majority.

No single party has ever won an outright majority in Israel's parliament, making coalition-building crucial to forming a government. Arab-led parties, which are pushing for a high voter turnout, could emerge as kingmakers if they agree to back either side and other parties are willing to join an alliance with them, reported AP.

Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Voting will conclude at 10 pm local time on Tuesday, or 12:30 am IST on Wednesday, October 28. Israeli television channels are expected to release exit polls immediately after voting ends, offering an early indication of how the parties have performed.