Netanyahu faces uncertain future as Israeli election looms amid war fallout

As Israel heads to a vote on Oct. 27, Benjamin Netanyahu is urging the electorate to forget the Oct. 7 Hamas assault and focus on his post-attack military campaigns, even though polls show his Likud party trailing. Former general Gadi Eisenkot, leading the Yashar Party, is attempting to assemble a coalition with parties such as Yair Golan’s Democrats, Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid, Avigdor Lieberman and the Arab Ra’am party headed by Mansour Abbas.

Netanyahu’s supporters, including talk-show host Yinon Magal, have publicly vilified families of hostages who criticize the government, while opposition leaders like Benny Gantz and Isaac Herzog call for a formal investigation into the security failure. Reports indicate Netanyahu received warnings from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt before the attack, which he has denied. The campaign is marked by accusations of blame-shifting, conspiracy-theory rhetoric from Sara Netanyahu, and a broader debate over responsibility versus political survival.