Israelis vote Tuesday as leaders agree on Gaza war strategy

Voting booths opened Tuesday morning across Israel as citizens cast ballots in a national election.

The race is defined less by foreign policy than by domestic power struggles. Most leading candidates agree on maintaining the current military posture in Gaza. None have proposed ending the war that began after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. They also largely support the ongoing campaign against Iran. The candidates remain aligned on the absence of a clear path toward a two-state solution.

The primary division lies in how the country is governed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads the hard-right coalition. His bloc seeks to limit judicial oversight of the executive branch. The opposition coalition promises a similar policy agenda but operates with greater legal restraint. They aim to remove the more extreme elements of the current administration from power.

The status of the ultra-Orthodox community adds another layer of complexity. Netanyahu relies on the Shas and United Torah Judaism parties for his majority in the Knesset. These groups demand legislation to protect religious students from military service. This demand follows the arrest of about 40 Haredi men this month for avoiding conscription. Netanyahu called the arrests a deliberate attempt to harm the drafting process. Shas leader Aryeh Deri stated his party would not join a government unless the status of yeshiva students is regulated. Gadi Eisenkot of the Yashar party framed the choice as one between a government of conscription led by him and Netanyahu's draft-dodging administration.

The Supreme Court overhaul remains a central issue for voters. The coalition passed measures in 2023 and 2024 to change how judges are appointed. A law passed in July stripped Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of many powers. These changes are scheduled to take effect after the election. Most opposition leaders have vowed to reverse them. Justice Minister Yariv Levin described the vote as a historic chance to finish the judicial reform. Naftali Bennett of the Together alliance pledged to cancel all the legal revolution laws as soon as the new Knesset convenes.

Accountability for the October 7 failures has dominated the campaign. More than 74,000 people have died in Gaza, yet this toll has been absent from the platforms of the two main alliances. Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi resigned in January 2025 following inquiries into security failures. Shin Bet head Ronen Bar left in June 2025 after a dispute with the prime minister. No comparable inquiry has examined Netanyahu's role, despite reports that the UAE and Egypt warned him before the attack. Eisenkot said Netanyahu was warned and did not act. He promised a State Commission of Inquiry. Netanyahu told the Knesset his government wants an inquiry with broad public support, but the proposed government-led inquiry has been deferred to the next session.