Israelis head to the polls on Tuesday to vote for their next government in an Israel election shaped by the war in Gaza and tensions with Iran, according to Al Jazeera. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces strong criticism over his handling of security and a challenge from former military chief Gadi Eisenkot.
Al Jazeera reports that Netanyahu has been strongly criticised for his handling of security before the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel.
Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert called the election an "inevitable battle about the future of Israel" and backed Eisenkot, according to Euronews.
On Sunday, Netanyahu denied a reported clash with Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir over a proposed military operation that could trigger fighting with Iran, according to Dawn.
The dispute was first described in a Channel 12 report, as relayed by Dawn. Channel 12 said Zamir requested a detailed discussion and signed legal authorisation before acting on political instructions. It did not disclose the nature of the operation or establish whether it was linked to Netanyahu’s Iran instructions. Netanyahu denied any dispute with Zamir on Channel 14.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said reports of a rift between the army and political leaders over Iran were "entirely baseless and false", and said there was complete coordination, according to Dawn.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu of seeking an escalation with Iran "just to postpone the elections", according to Dawn.
Dawn also reports that Netanyahu said he had instructed Mossad and the military to work toward toppling Iran’s government, and claimed Iran had resumed its nuclear programme. He also posted an AI-generated image of a nuclear explosion over Tel Aviv. Eisenkot and Yair Golan accused him of spreading fear and panic.
The Gaza backdrop is also central to the campaign. Al Jazeera reports that the Gaza "ceasefire" in place since October 2025 has not stopped almost daily Israeli air strikes, and that Israel controls about 65 percent of Gaza’s territory inside the "Yellow Line". Its Palestinian views come from Gaza residents, not Israeli voters or parties.
The sources do not report results or a coalition outcome. Eisenkot’s and Netanyahu’s positions on Gaza and Iran are expected to shape the next government.
Several points remain unconfirmed. The account of the Zamir dispute rests on a single Channel 12 report, relayed by Dawn, with no independent confirmation in the sources. Dawn gives the vote date as October 27, while Al Jazeera and Euronews say Tuesday, so the date needs confirming. Reports of crossing closures for voting and of Netanyahu trailing rivals could not be verified from the available sources, and no response from Lapid, Eisenkot or the Israeli government on the crossings is included.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.