Israelis vote in the first national election since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks

JERUSALEM (Oct. 27) — Israelis went to the polls Tuesday in the country's first national election since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, a vote widely cast as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership, the Associated Press reported.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. local time and close at 10 p.m. About 7.3 million people are eligible to vote. Israelis living abroad generally cannot cast ballots unless they are diplomats or state emissaries who voted earlier at missions overseas, Al Jazeera reported, citing Reuters.

Final polls published Friday showed Netanyahu's coalition neck and neck with — or slightly behind — an opposition bloc led by former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot. An average of Channels 11, 12 and 13 compiled by Haaretz put Netanyahu's bloc around 50 seats and Eisenkot's around 54 of the Knesset's 120, short of the 61 needed for a majority, Al Jazeera reported.

Exit polls are expected soon after voting ends, but forming a government could take weeks. Under Israel's system, President Isaac Herzog consults party leaders and taps a candidate who then has up to 42 days to assemble a coalition. Official results are due by Nov. 4. If no government forms, Netanyahu's cabinet would remain as a caretaker, Al Jazeera and AP reported.

Netanyahu faces questions over the security failures around Oct. 7, the war that followed, captive negotiations, corruption allegations and ultra-Orthodox military service, AP and Al Jazeera reported. This story will be updated as results come in.