Polls open in Israel: 7.3 million voters to determine Netanyahu's fate

Voting began at 07:00 local time, directing 7.3 million Israeli voters to 18,000 ballot boxes across 12,018 polling stations; exit polls will be released after the polls close at 22:00, with final results expected to be announced within eight days following the appeals process.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political future is at the center of the elections. The right-wing bloc is formed by Netanyahu's Likud, Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit, Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism Party, as well as Shas and United Torah Judaism. On the opposition front, the Yashar Party led by former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot stands out; the B'Yachad alliance between Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, Yair Golan's Democratic Party, and Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beytenu are also among the main contenders.

To enter the parliament, parties must surpass the 3.25 percent electoral threshold; forming a government requires the support of at least 61 lawmakers. Pre-election polls show the Yashar Party leading with approximately 23 seats, while Likud is expected to win 19-21 seats; the right-wing bloc is estimated to reach approximately 50 seats in total. The projected seat count for anti-Netanyahu parties ranges between 52 and 56. This picture indicates that neither side will be able to secure the majority needed to form a government on its own, and coalition negotiations are assessed to be decisive.

Operations against the Gaza Strip, the occupation in southern Lebanon, and the ongoing conflict with Iran make up the heavy topics on the election agenda. Approximately 1.2 million Palestinians with Israeli citizenship will also cast ballots.