Beyond October 7: Israel Votes in First Parliamentary Election Since Hamas Attack

Israelis went to the polls on Tuesday to elect the 26th Knesset, in the country’s first parliamentary election since the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.

The vote follows both the attack and the subsequent war in the Gaza Strip, placing the election in a markedly different context from Israel’s previous parliamentary contest.

That backdrop gives the ballot significance beyond the selection of a new parliament. It offers voters their first opportunity in a Knesset election to assess political leadership in light of the attack and the war that followed.

How those events shape voters’ choices will be central to understanding the outcome—and the direction of Israeli politics in the next parliamentary term.