Israel election live updates: Netanyahu battles to stay in power as voters head to the polls

What to know Israelis head to the polls today for the first nationwide election since the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, the deadliest day in the country’s history. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing one of the most significant electoral tests of his decades-long political career after three years of war, crisis and global outcry over the country's military campaign in the Gaza Strip. Ahead of the vote, Netanyahu’s Likud party was neck and neck with the Israeli military's former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, who has emerged as his strongest rival in a fraught campaign that has centered on the country's security and future. No single party has ever earned a majority in the Knesset, or parliament, in Israel’s history so it is unlikely we'll know a winner when polls close this evening. Negotiations to build a governing coalition will likely need to take place. Netanyahu has staunchly defended his conduct and the war in Gaza, which has left about 74,500 people dead since Oct. 7, and goes into the election facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. He vehemently rejects a U.N. commission's allegations of perpetrating a genocide in Gaza.

Follow live as Israelis vote in Netanyahu’s first general election since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks and the launch of his controversial war in Gaza.