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.

Security, the wars in Gaza and Iran, ultra-Orthodox military conscription and the economic cost of prolonged conflict are among the issues shaping the vote. Israeli voters will head to the polls Tuesday in an election with implications beyond the country’s borders.

Opinion polls show a close race between Netanyahu's Likud party and its right-wing allies and a rival alliance led by Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff and security hawk with backers on the right and in the centre.

“I hope this will be a true holiday for democracy,” Isaac Herzog, the Israeli head of state, told reporters from a polling station in Rehavia, where he and his wife voted. “No one can be allowed to spoil or undermine it.” Here’s what to know.

BENJAMIN Netanyahu could be toppled by an ex-army chief as Israel holds its first election since the October 7 attacks. Gadi Eisenkot, former head of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), is leading

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, has long sold himself as the best politician to manage relations with America. Our reporter Mark Mazzetti describes how that alliance is now under strain as support for Israel erodes across party lines.

Sources told The Washington Post that Netanyahu told US officials that he believes Eisenkot would be the best partner if hostilities resume between Israel and Iran.

The stakes of this election are so high that thousands of Israelis living abroad are flying home to cast their ballots.