The key facts
- On October 27, Israelis elect the 26th Knesset — the first election since the October 7, 2023 attacks
- In Tel Aviv, families of the victims held a memorial ceremony at the installation bearing the date '7.10.23'
- Exit polls are expected at 21:00 CET; government formation may take weeks
A day of remembrance and voting
On October 27, 2026, Israel holds its first general election since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, with voters choosing the composition of the 26th Knesset. On the same Tuesday, families of the victims gathered in Tel Aviv for a memorial ceremony at the white installation bearing the date '7.10.23': participants holding photographs of their loved ones observed a minute of silence and then sang together. Among those present were Yona Adam, whose daughter Mapal was killed at the Nova music festival, and Einav Zangauker, the mother of former hostage Matan Zangauker.
Voting across the country
According to Euronews, queues formed at polling stations in Kiryat Arba, an Israeli settlement near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, where far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir cast his vote; his party has traditionally been strong in this nationalist stronghold. In Umm el-Fahm, an Arabic-speaking city in northern Israel, poll workers at the al-Aqvas school prepared ballots before voters arrived. A similar scene was reported at polling stations in Jerusalem.
What comes next
Exit polls are expected on Tuesday at 21:00 CET. However, as the outlet notes, forming a new government may take weeks — a common feature of Israeli coalition politics after elections, when negotiations between parties over a coalition often drag on for a long time.
