Turnout at Israel's election has reached a record high at the halfway stage

Follow below for all the latest on the Israeli election on October 27, 2026, and its aftermath: Turnout in Israel's election keeps rising. It reached a record 44.9% by 2 p.m. (1200 UTC), the Central Elections Commission said. Some 3.29 million Israelis had cast their ballots by that point, commission head Dean Livne said. It was the highest turnout recorded at that hour since the commission began collecting comparable statistics in 1973. Gadi Eisenkot, the main challenger to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , urged voters on Tuesday to oust what he called the "worst government" in Israel's history and promised a more responsible style of leadership.