ISRAEL ELECTION SET FOR OCTOBER 27, COALITION HEAD SAYS

Israel is set to hold its national election on October 27, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition said the original date set by law would be kept. Reuters reported that coalition head Ofir Katz told a parliamentary committee Sunday that the ballot would remain on that date, ending uncertainty over whether the vote might be moved earlier.

The election will be Israel's first national vote since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack and the wars that followed in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. Reuters reported that the precise date had been unclear since Israel's parliament voted in May to disband, raising the possibility of an early election before the statutory October deadline.

The October vote is expected to be a major test for Netanyahu, who returned to power in 2022 at the head of what Reuters described as Israel's most right-wing government to date. The prime minister's security reputation was badly damaged by the October 2023 attack, and Reuters reported that polling has shown public dissatisfaction with his handling of the later Iran war.

Reuters reported that successive surveys have suggested Netanyahu's nationalist and religious coalition would lose the election. At the same time, the outlet noted that his political rivals still do not have a clear path to power and that Israel's political landscape could shift before the vote.

The race is also taking shape around new and reorganized opposition forces. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that former military chief Gadi Eisenkot has emerged as one of Netanyahu's main challengers, with Eisenkot's centrist Yashar party and Netanyahu's Likud polling close together in that report.

The election date matters because Israeli governments rarely complete a full four-year term. Reuters noted that Netanyahu is Israel's longest-serving leader and has repeatedly survived political setbacks, even when polls and coalition arithmetic appeared to put his future in doubt.

The October 27 date gives parties a clearer campaign calendar after months of war, political strain and uncertainty over whether the coalition would force an earlier contest. It also gives opposition parties time to decide whether they can cooperate closely enough to turn anti-Netanyahu polling into a governing majority.

The central question is not only whether Netanyahu's bloc loses seats, but whether any alternative bloc can form a government. Israel's fragmented party system means election results often produce difficult coalition negotiations, and an opposition lead in polling does not automatically translate into a stable governing coalition.

Fact-check date: July 12, 2026
Article type: News
Sources: Reuters; The Wall Street Journal; Haaretz; The Jerusalem Post; statement by coalition head Ofir Katz, as reported by Reuters