Israel Sets Oct. 27 Election Date as First Vote Since Oct. 7 Hamas Attack

Israel’s parliament (the Knesset) voted to dissolve on May 20 and set the latest legally permissible date for the next legislative election: October 27. The election will be the first national poll held on schedule in four decades and the first since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 assault that triggered the Gaza war.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right‑wing coalition faces a tight race. Recent opinion polls show former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot’s centrist Yashar party leading Netanyahu’s Likud, while a new alliance of former premiers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid also commands significant support. Key campaign issues include security, the future of Gaza, investigations into the Oct 7 security failures, ongoing corruption charges against Netanyahu, and a controversial bill that would suspend conscription of ultra‑Orthodox men.

The vote will also test Israel’s diaspora voting rules, as citizens abroad must travel back to cast ballots. If Netanyahu’s bloc retains power, it would mark the first full term completed by an Israeli prime minister since 1973.