Election Day arrives with Netanyahu-Zamir tensions and a family defection

Nathan Netanyahu, the PM's cousin, quits Likud on Tuesday evening, as the premier's office denies reports of a planned firing of Chief of Staff Zamir.

Election Day arrives with Netanyahu-Zamir tensions and a family defection — Israel goes to the polls on Tuesday, October 26, 2026, for the 26th Knesset elections, with an estimated 640,000 first-time voters aged 18-22 eligible to cast ballots[^2]. Comprising nearly 10% of the electorate, this cohort could determine up to 12 Knesset seats[^2]. A Channel 12 poll found 74% of young people identify as right-wing or center-right, and IDI research shows 80% to 95% of young Jewish and Arab voters intend to vote[^2]. The Central Elections Committee activated a live broadcast feed from its command and control center throughout Election Day[^1]. On Tuesday evening, Nathan Netanyahu, a long-time Likud member and cousin to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, announced on X/Twitter that he will not vote for Likud and immediately terminated his membership, saying he would consider renewing it only under different leadership[^3]. The defection comes as tensions between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and the IDF top brass escalated this evening[^4]. Netanyahu's office responded to the reports: 'Absolute fake news from beginning to end'[^4]. The IDF had cautioned against overt Air Force flights in certain areas of the Middle East, fearing a security deterioration that could disrupt the elections[^4]. A Channel 14 poll gives the Netanyahu bloc 62 seats. First-time voter Yael Chernyvsky, 18, from Ramat Hasharon, plans to vote for the opposition change bloc seeking to oust Netanyahu[^2]. Omer Gross from Jerusalem supports the Religious Zionist party led by Bezalel Smotrich[^2]. Khalel Alaa Sabeh, 18, from Shef-Amra, plans to vote for an Arab party focused on resource gaps and crime in the Arab sector[^2]. The first Knesset elections yielded the highest voter turnout to date – 87%. Jordan strikes Syria after church attack; sovereignty dispute emerges — The Jordanian army carried out airstrikes on targets in southern Syria, following the attack on a church over the weekend that killed nine people, according to Jordan.[^1] The operation, reported by multiple outlets, marks a rare direct military action by Jordan across its border. While c14 and arab4