Netanyahu Faces 74,000 Death Toll as Israeli Election Nears

More than 74,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began following the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023. That toll sits at the center of Tuesday’s election, yet it remains absent from the formal platforms of the two main alliances.

The primary division among leading candidates is not about the war itself. Most frontrunners agree on the continuation of the conflict in Gaza and the recent war against Iran. Instead, the campaign focuses on domestic governance. Voters are choosing between the hard-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a loose coalition of opponents. The opposition promises a similar policy agenda but intends to operate within existing legal frameworks.

The power of the judiciary is the sharpest point of contention. The current government has passed measures to change how judges are appointed and to strip Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of many powers. A law passed in July allows the government to reject her legal advice and choose its own lawyers in court. Both measures take effect after the election. The opposition has vowed to reverse these changes. Netanyahu argues that the judiciary must not crush the Knesset or the executive branch. He described the need for "we the people" rather than "we the judges." Naftali Bennett, co-leader of the Together alliance, pledged to cancel all "legal revolution laws" as soon as the Knesset convenes.

Conscription of the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, population is another major flashpoint. Netanyahu relies on the support of Shas and United Torah Judaism to maintain his majority. These parties demand legislation shielding ultra-Orthodox youth from the draft, overturning a Supreme Court ruling from June 25, 2024. After about 40 Haredim were arrested this month for avoiding conscription, Netanyahu called the arrests "a deliberate attempt to harm the process of drafting Haredim without coercion." Shas leader Aryeh Deri stated his party would not join any government unless the status of yeshiva students is regulated. Gadi Eisenkot of the Yashar party framed the vote as a choice between "Netanyahu's draft-dodging government" and a government of conscription led by him.

The question of a two-state solution remains unresolved. Israel committed to working toward a two-state solution in the Oslo Accords of the 1990s. Netanyahu has promised "there will be no Palestinian state." Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged the next government to cancel the Oslo Accords and pursue sovereignty in occupied territory. Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party, said a leap to two states is impossible while Israeli society remains in trauma. He pointed instead to "civil separation and security response."

Accountability for the security failures of October 7 has dominated the campaign. Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi announced his resignation in January 2025 after inquiries into the attack. 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 own role. Eisenkot said Netanyahu "was warned and did not act" and promised 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.