Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu on Tuesday (October 27), cast their ballots in an election that voters are calling the most consequential in their history.

Netanyahu urged people to go out and vote, saying the campaign cannot be left in the hands of the opposing parties.

Opinion polls show a close race between Netanyahu's Likud party and its right-wing allies and a rival alliance led by Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff and security hawk with backers on the right and in the centre.

The election follows one of Israel's most turbulent periods since its establishment in 1948, shaped by the trauma of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, Israel's subsequent military assault in Gaza and deep domestic divisions over the policies of Netanyahu's right-wing government.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

JERUSALEM (OCTOBER 27, 2026) (POOL - Access all)

1. ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ARRIVING AT POLLING STATION, GREETING PEOPLE

2. NETANYAHU VOTING

3. NETANYAHU AND HIS WIFE SARA STANDING NEXT TO BALLOT BOX

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, SAYING:

"Vote correctly, that's what we're doing. For the future of the state of Israel."

5. PEOPLE AT POLLING STATION

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, SAYING:

"We can't leave this campaign to the left and the Arab parties that want to bring an end to the Jewish state."