Poll Shows Governing Coalition Gaining Seats Ahead of Elections

A new poll conducted by i24NEWS in collaboration with the Direct Polls Institute indicates a shift in the Israeli political landscape just a week before the 2026 elections. The survey was released amid rising political tensions, following Benny Gantz's resignation from the National Unity party and increasing pressure on Ofer Winter, leader of the "Amcha Israel" party, to step down. If elections were held today, the Likud party would secure 26 seats, gaining one seat from the previous week's poll. The poll shows Benny Gantz's "Yashar!" party dropping to 20 seats, and Naftali Bennett's "Achim" party falling to 12 seats. Itamar Ben-Gvir's "Otzma Yehudit" would receive 9 seats, while Yair Golan's "Democrats" would also hold 9 seats. Shas, United Torah Judaism, and the Joint List are projected to maintain their current standings with 8 seats each. Avigdor Lieberman's "Yisrael Beiteinu" is expected to gain one seat for a total of 7. The "Religious Zionism and Zehut" alliance would also gain a seat, reaching 7, and the "United Arab List" would secure 6 seats. Notably, Ofer Winter's "Amcha Israel" party fails to cross the electoral threshold, garnering only 3.1% of the vote, below the required 3.25%. The "Reservists and Economy" party also falls short with 2.6%. Several smaller parties, including Tzeva Shahor, Ha'am Ha'charedi, Ahi, Noam Israel, and Yisrael Tehillah - Alia Yeruk, are projected to receive less than 1% of the vote. The poll also shows a change in bloc strength, with the governing coalition gaining one seat to reach 58, while the bloc led by Gantz's party loses one seat to 47. Arab parties collectively hold 14 seats. The survey was conducted on October 20, 2026, among 521 adult participants representing a cross-section of the Israeli population, with a statistical margin of error of ±4.3% at a 95% confidence level.