Israel to Hold National Elections on October 27, Seen as Referendum on Netanyahu.

Israel's parliament announced that the country will hold national elections on October 27, the latest date permitted under Israeli law.

According to the Knesset, the current parliament is expected to complete its full term, and the next general election is already scheduled by law for October 27. As there is no intention to dissolve the legislature before the end of its mandate, there is no need to pass a law dissolving the Knesset.

The Knesset is due to hold the final sitting of its current term on Friday, making Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right coalition the first Israeli government in nearly 50 years to complete a full four-year term.

Netanyahu, 76, has faced growing criticism since the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, the deadliest assault in Israel's history. Critics accuse him of a series of security failures that allowed militants from Gaza to breach Israel's border defenses and take 251 hostages.

Former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot has emerged as Netanyahu's leading political challenger. According to a Channel 13 poll published on Thursday, Eisenkot's Yashar party holds a narrow lead over Netanyahu's Likud party. Eisenkot's son was killed during the early stages of Israel's military campaign in Gaza in December 2023.

Netanyahu, already Israel's longest-serving prime minister, has confirmed that he will seek another term in office in the October elections.