Israel holds election as Netanyahu faces loss of PM post

Israel held parliamentary elections on Tuesday (27/10) to choose 120 Knesset members, as Benjamin Netanyahu faced the threat of losing the prime minister's post. About 7,3 million registered voters cast ballots at 12.018 polling stations, with 37 parties competing under a proportional system and a 3,25 percent threshold. Final polls put Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar at around 22-23 seats, slightly ahead of Netanyahu's Likud at 19-21 seats. But no bloc is expected to win 61 seats to form a government alone, leaving coalition talks likely to deadlock again. The vote is the first since the 7 October 2023 attacks and comes as Netanyahu faces criticism over the war in Gaza, corruption cases and political pressure from his rivals.