Israelis Vote in Unusually High Turnout, With 66.7% Cast by 6 p.m., in a Race Seen as a Verdict on Netanyahu

Israelis went to the polls in unusually large numbers on Tuesday, in the first national election since the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023. By 6 p.m. local time, 66.7 percent of eligible voters had cast a ballot, up from 57.7 percent at the same hour in 2022, according to NBC News' live coverage.

No result exists yet. Polls close at 10 p.m. local time, 8 p.m. GMT, when Israeli television channels will publish exit polls. What follows is where the day stands.

What is the turnout in Israel's election?

Turnout was ahead of the last election at every checkpoint NBC listed. It was 16.7 percent at 10 a.m. (15.9 percent in 2022), 31.5 percent at noon (28.4 percent) and 44.9 percent at 2 p.m., which NBC says is the highest at that hour since 1973. High turnout in Arab communities is a closely watched factor. Netanyahu himself cited it on Tuesday afternoon, according to NBC, while urging right-wing voters to turn out.

Who is running against Benjamin Netanyahu?

The main challenger is Gadi Eisenkot, 66, a former military chief who leads the Yashar party and an informal opposition bloc that stretches from the right to the centre-left, France 24 reports. A party needs 61 of 120 seats for a majority, and neither side is expected to reach it alone. A Kan poll cited by Al Jazeera before the vote gave the opposition 52 seats and Netanyahu's bloc 50, with the rest going to unaligned parties, including Arab-led lists.

What are the issues?

Al Jazeera lists accountability for the security failures of 7 October, anger over the ultra-Orthodox exemption from military service and opposition to judicial overhaul among the main ones. Netanyahu faces a corruption trial and an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, so a loss could add to his legal exposure. About 1.2 million Palestinian citizens of Israel are eligible to vote, and Al Jazeera says a turnout of 65 percent could give Arab parties up to 15 seats. Both main blocs have so far ruled out working with them.