Israeli political expert Wadie Abu Nassar has outlined four possible scenarios after Tuesday’s election, as polls suggest neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition can secure the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority.

The scenarios include a conventional coalition, an opposition minority government backed by Arab parties from outside the coalition, a national unity government bringing together Netanyahu and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, or another election with the current government remaining in a caretaker role.

Arab parties are projected to win 14 to 15 seats and have offered to provide parliamentary support in return for measures addressing crime and home demolitions in the Palestinian communities in Israel.

However, Eisenkot has yet to commit to the proposal, while opposition parties remain opposed to joining a government led by Netanyahu, who faces corruption charges and an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over crimes during Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.

Former Israeli army chief Gadi Eisenkot, who spent four decades in the military, is seeking to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tuesday’s election.

Eisenkot, 66, is leading his Yashar party, founded in 2025, on a pledge to form a government of change and end Netanyahu’s rule, which has spanned more than 17 years across several terms.

Opinion polls show Yashar ahead of Netanyahu’s Likud party, but neither bloc is projected to secure the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-member Knesset.

Coalition negotiations are therefore expected to play a decisive role in determining Israel’s next prime minister.

Israeli opposition leaders have urged voters to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as polls opened in the country's parliamentary election.

Avigdor Lieberman called on voters to end Netanyahu's rule and the influence of ultra-Orthodox Jews, while Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot urged voters to make his party the largest in Israel.

Netanyahu has led the right-wing government since December 2022. Both Eisenkot and Netanyahu oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party plans to deploy teams to film Palestinian voters outside polling stations during Tuesday’s general elections, potentially using the footage to support claims of electoral fraud if the party suffers major losses, Haaretz daily reported.

The newspaper said Likud has spent millions of shekels recruiting and paying workers to monitor polling stations in Palestinian communities in Israel, record voters and report developments to party headquarters in real time.

The teams, established in recent weeks, will operate outside polling stations rather than inside them, allowing them to avoid the strict regulations governing official election observers.

The Central Elections Committee is preparing for a record number of voters using double envelopes, mainly due to the prolonged reserve duty and the displacement of residents from their homes following the war.

Israeli opposition parties lead PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc in recent polls, but remain short of the 61 seats needed to form a government, according to a TRT World correspondent.

The opposition hopes to form a coalition or national unity government, while Netanyahu has urged right-wing voters, including illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank, to turn out.

The correspondent said Netanyahu has used warnings about threats to right-wing voters in a bid to mobilise support. However, the election outcome and whether the opposition can secure a parliamentary majority remain uncertain.

Democratic Party MP Gilad Kariv has warned Israelis that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies will flood them with fake news and misleading messages in the coming hours to undermine the election.

Over 500,000 young Israelis can vote for the first time, with polls showing a strong rightward shift amid social media and AI-driven campaigns.

More than 7.3 million eligible voters are choosing 120 Knesset members, with 37 parties and electoral lists competing.

More than 7.3 million eligible voters can cast ballots at 12,018 polling stations as 36 lists compete for 120 Knesset seats.

Polls close at 10 pm, with free intercity bus and rail travel available on election day.