Jerusalem

The first voter turnout figures for Israel's election to the Knesset was announced by the Central Elections Committee. As per the announcement the turnout stood at 16.7% as of 10 am local time which is an increase of 15.9% at the same time in the 2022 election.

Times of Israel reported that with 1.2 million votes cast, it is the highest turnout at this hour since at least 1996, when Benjamin Netanyahu won his first term as Prime Minister.

Even as the voting continued principal challenger to Netanyahu, Gadi Eisenkot continued his campaign first with a visit to Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the communities hardest hit by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack. Eisenkot walked alongside former hostage Gadi Mozes towards his polling booth before leaving to cast his own vote elsewhere.

“I am proud and moved to begin this day with Gadi Mozes, a symbol of the Israeli spirit and strength, of Israelis’ commitment to one another and their commitment to the state. I pledge to do everything I can to ensure that we are worthy of the price you paid, the price the kibbutz paid and the price we all paid, and to bring healing and repair to all citizens of Israel,” Eisenkot told reporters.

Times of Israel reported that Mozes, had endured 482 days in Hamas captivity and had campaigned for Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff who lost his son Gal and two nephews while they were fighting in Gaza during the war.

Meanwhile, Israel President Isaac Herzog visited the Central Election Committee headquarters and told reporters that the fate of the nation was in the hands of the voters.

“it is a real holiday of democracy, and no one can be allowed to ruin it — quite the opposite, this is our opportunity, all of us, to influence our fate, the fate of our children, and the fate of our grandchildren. It is something that is deeply embedded inside of our spirit, as a very democratic nation,” he was reported as saying by Times of Israel.

"We are putting different slips in the ballot, and we are expressing different opinions, in the end we have a common fate. A common fate in this land, a common fate in our beloved country, and this election process is another way to express our love for our country,” he added.

Herzog will play a critical role in Government formation. After the votes are tallied later tonight, President Herzog will consult the leaders of the elected parties before tasking the lawmaker he believes has the best chance of forming a government. That candidate will have 28 days to cobble together a coalition, with a possible 14-day extension.

If those efforts fail, a second party leader may be given 28 days (without an extension) to try, and if that attempt falls short, a majority of 61 MKs can request that the president assign the task to a particular lawmaker within a further 21-day period.

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A government must ultimately win the majority of the Knesset’s votes to take office, though a minority government can take office with fewer than 61 supporters if abstentions leave it with more votes in favour than against. If all attempts fail, Israel faces another election, with Netanyahu remaining caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed.