Israel heads to its first vote since October 7, with Netanyahu's handling of the attack under scrutiny

Summary

Israel's first national vote since the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023 is due on Tuesday, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has led the country throughout, may be re-elected. At Kibbutz Be'eri, one of the communities devastated in the attack, residents are seeking accountability. Gal Cohen, who walks past a memorial wall engraved with the names of those killed on his kibbutz, finds it painful that the leader of Israel, then and since, may be returned to office. According to the Times of Israel, one in 10 residents of Be'eri were murdered in the attack, and many feel the catastrophe must be probed by a top-level commission, which Netanyahu has refused to set up.

Timeline

1. Straits Times

   26 Oct 2026, 11:35 UTCSource ↗

   Reports from Be'eri that Gal Cohen walks along a memorial wall engraved with the names of those slain in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, and that he finds painful the possibility that the man leading Israel may be re-elected on Tuesday.

2. Times of Israel

   26 Oct 2026, 16:37 UTCSource ↗

   Reports from Kibbutz Be'eri, devastated in the Hamas invasion, that one in 10 residents were murdered and that many feel the catastrophe must be probed by a top-level commission, which the prime minister has refused to set up.