Israel Votes With 74,000 Gaza Dead as Candidates Align on War

More than 74,000 people have died in Gaza since the war began, yet that toll is largely absent from the platforms of the two main alliances in Tuesday's Israeli election. Leading candidates have not challenged the war launched after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, nor the subsequent conflict with Iran. The campaign has focused instead on internal power struggles.

The election pits Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right government against a loose coalition of opponents. While the opposition promises a similar policy agenda, it seeks to operate within existing legal frameworks and without the extreme elements of the current administration. The frontrunners largely agree on the conduct of the war, creating little distinction on the battlefield.

The dispute over a two-state solution has faded from the center of the debate. Israel committed to working toward this goal in the Oslo Accords of the 1990s, but few contenders are ready to honor that pledge. The government faces accusations of supporting settler attacks and construction in occupied territory, including the E1 settlement plan. Ministers have stated openly that this plan will bury the two-state idea.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised there will be no Palestinian state. Gadi Eisenkot of the Yashar party called the principle of two states for two peoples a mistake. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged the next government to cancel the Oslo Accords and pursue sovereignty. Yair Golan of the Democrats party said a leap to two states is impossible while Israeli society remains in trauma.

The conscription of the ultra-Orthodox population has become a major flashpoint. Netanyahu relies on the Shas and United Torah Judaism parties for support in the Knesset. These groups demand legislation to overturn a June 25, 2024, Supreme Court ruling and shield ultra-Orthodox youth from the draft. About 40 Haredim were arrested this month for avoiding conscription.

Netanyahu described the arrests as a deliberate attempt to harm the process of drafting Haredim without coercion. Shas leader Aryeh Deri said his party would not join any government unless the status of yeshiva students is regulated. Eisenkot framed the vote as a choice between Netanyahu's draft-dodging government and a government of conscription. Avigdor Liberman of Yisrael Beiteinu called Netanyahu a hostage to the draft evaders.

The judicial overhaul remains the primary domestic divide. The government unveiled a plan to curb the courts in 2022, sparking mass protests in 2023 before the Gaza war interrupted them. The coalition has passed measures changing how judges are appointed. A law passed in July stripped Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of many powers, allowing the government to reject her legal advice. Both measures take effect after the election, and the opposition has vowed to reverse them.

Accountability for the October 7 attacks has dominated the campaign. Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi resigned in January 2025 following inquiries into security failures. Shin Bet head Ronen Bar left in June of last year after a dispute with the prime minister. No comparable inquiry has examined Netanyahu's role, despite reports that the UAE and Egypt warned him before the attack. Eisenkot said Netanyahu was warned and did not act, promising a State Commission of Inquiry.

Netanyahu told the Knesset his government wants an inquiry with as broad public support as possible. The proposed government-led inquiry never reached its final reading and has been deferred to the next session. Naftali Bennett of the Together alliance pledged to cancel all legal revolution laws as soon as the Knesset convenes. Justice Minister Yariv Levin called the election a historic chance to finish the job of judicial reform.