Gadi Eizenkot’s Yisra Strengthens Lead Over Netanyahu’s Likud in Latest Israeli Poll

A new poll by Channel 12 News published on August 10, 2026, shows Gadi Eizenkot’s party Yisra leading as the largest faction with 24 Knesset seats, gaining one seat since the previous survey. In contrast, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party drops to 22 seats, making it the second largest. Naftali Bennett’s Yachdut rises to 15 seats, while the Democratic camp under Yair Golan increases to 11 seats. Other parties such as Yisrael Beiteinu led by Avigdor Lieberman and Otzma Yehudit under Itamar Ben-Gvir also see gains, reaching 10 and 8 seats respectively.

Religious parties maintain their strength, with Yahadut HaTorah and Shas holding steady at 8 and 7 seats. The Religious Zionist Party remains at 5 seats, alongside Arab parties Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am, each securing 5 seats. Several "third bloc" parties, including those led by Gilad Erdan, fail to cross the 3.25% electoral threshold, with Erdan’s new right-wing party polling at 1.3%. Other parties below the threshold include Blue and White with 0.8% and the Zionist Home of reserve soldiers at 2.7%.

The anti-Netanyahu bloc holds 70 seats, combining 60 seats from Zionist opposition parties and 10 from Arab parties, while the coalition parties have 50 seats. Hypothetical scenarios tested in the poll show that uniting Arab parties and the inclusion of Yoav Segalovitz in Ra’am would shift some seats within the opposition but keep the bloc’s total at 70. A potential alliance of the third bloc parties could yield 6 seats, slightly altering the balance between opposition and coalition.

Regarding leadership suitability, Eizenkot leads Netanyahu 40% to 35% in preferred prime minister ratings, reversing a previous tie. Bennett also leads Netanyahu in a separate comparison. Netanyahu remains the preferred candidate over Lieberman by 38% to 24%. On security policy, 63% of respondents believe U.S. President Donald Trump, rather than Netanyahu, currently shapes Israel’s security decisions. Netanyahu is seen as the most trusted to handle relations with the U.S. by 39%, followed by Eizenkot and Bennett.

Public opinion is divided on military outcomes, with 62% doubting Israel will ever achieve a "complete victory" in Gaza. On Iran, 36% support Israel launching a unilateral attack, while 44% oppose it. Regarding Gaza, 64% favor continuing military operations against Hamas despite U.S. calls to end the conflict. The poll was conducted on August 10, 2026, with a representative sample of 502 Israeli adults and a margin of error of 4.4%.