Israel Heads to Polls for 2026 General Election

President Yitzhak Herzog and his wife Michal cast their ballots at a polling station in the Rehavia neighborhood of Jerusalem. Other notable figures who voted early in the day include Shas chairman Aryeh Deri in Jerusalem and former Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef in Rishon LeZion. Families of victims from the October 7 attacks also urged citizens to vote in memory of their loved ones.

The Central Elections Committee reported that over 95% of polling stations opened on schedule. The committee refuted social media allegations that Likud representatives were using an application to monitor voters, stating it had received no such reports. It did, however, address an isolated incident in Moshav Yarhiv where a local election committee member photographed voters, noting she stopped immediately after being informed of the regulations. Meanwhile, cyber police have entered a 24/7 operational mode to counter a wave of deepfakes circulating around the elections.