The latest developments in Israel's elections: While voting continues, the Central Election Commission reported that the national voter turnout reached 55.7% by 4:00 p.m. local time, which marks a jump of 8.2 percentage points compared to the same time during the 2022 elections. Political figures from across the spectrum urged their bases to go to the polls before the polls closed at 10:00 p.m., amid widespread reports of heavy traffic and procedural obstacles. Wanting to take advantage of the crazy final voting hours, Netanyahu's ruling Likud party officially appealed to the Central Election Commission to extend the legal voting hours beyond the normal closing time of 10:00 p.m., a move joined by the ultra-Orthodox Shas party under the pretext of long lines. The high participation rates were accompanied by acute political frictions. The leader of the Taal party, Ahmed Tibi, claimed that settlers are deliberately slowing down the voting process in Palestinian communities, while the legal rights organization Adalah noted that it had received "numerous reports" regarding the obstacles faced by Palestinians with Israeli citizenship at the polls. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voted in West Jerusalem and urged his supporters to rush to the polls, claiming that Palestinian citizens were "rushing to the polls." The chairman of the joint list, Yosef Jabarin, accused Netanyahu of continuing to "incite against Arab citizens and question our legitimacy to vote and influence the political map." The chairman of the Ishar party, Gadi Eisenkot, made a similar criticism of the incumbent leader, blasting the Likud campaign for relying on "tricks, lies and fear-mongering" to mobilize right-wing voters.

The latest developments in Israel's elections: While voting continues, the Central Election Commission reported that the national voter turnout reached 55.7% by 4:00 p.m. local time, which marks a jump of 8.2 percentage points compared to the same time during the 2022 elections. Political figures from across the spectrum urged their bases to go to the polls before the polls closed at 10:00 p.m., amid widespread reports of heavy traffic and procedural obstacles. Wanting to take advantage of the crazy final voting hours, Netanyahu's ruling Likud party officially appealed to the Central Election Commission to extend the legal voting hours beyond the normal closing time of 10:00 p.m., a move joined by the ultra-Orthodox Shas party under the pretext of long lines. The high participation rates were accompanied by acute political frictions. The leader of the Taal party, Ahmed Tibi, claimed that settlers are deliberately slowing down the voting process in Palestinian communities, while the legal rights organization Adalah noted that it had received "numerous reports" regarding the obstacles faced by Palestinians with Israeli citizenship at the polls. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voted in West Jerusalem and urged his supporters to rush to the polls, claiming that Palestinian citizens were "rushing to the polls." The chairman of the joint list, Yosef Jabarin, accused Netanyahu of continuing to "incite against Arab citizens and question our legitimacy to vote and influence the political map." The chairman of the Ishar party, Gadi Eisenkot, made a similar criticism of the incumbent leader, blasting the Likud campaign for relying on "tricks, lies and fear-mongering" to mobilize right-wing voters.