‘Peace is not in people’s minds’: October 7 scars take center stage for first-time voters

Like hundreds of thousands of Israelis, Amihai is of voting age this month for the first time since Hamas carried out its devastating onslaught on October 7, 2023. When he casts his ballot on October 27, he has one priority above all — security. From a field overlooking the sprawling ruins of the northern Gaza Strip, the 18-year-old says he plans to vote for a far-right party at the ballot box, three years after the deadliest day in Israeli history. “I’m voting based solely on security — not for whoever will help me buy an apartment in 10 years, but for whoever can guarantee that I’ll even still be alive here in 10 years,” he told AFP. Amihai, from Shomria in southern Israel, was speaking less than two kilometers from Gaza, swaths of which have been flattened by Israeli strikes and operations since the war with the Palestinian terror group erupted in 2023. He was attending an event calling for Jewish settlement of the coastal territory, and said that he would be casting a vote for the ultra-nationalist party of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms “After October 7, I want death for the terrorists, I want the terrorists here to suffer in prison, I want there to be deterrence,” the teenager said, alluding to a Ben Gvir-pushed, recently passed death penalty law that applies to those convicted of terror acts that kill Israeli citizens. Sporting a cap and T-shirt in support of the minister, Amihai said he also wanted “emigration from Gaza, that the people of Gaza will be dying to leave” — another policy long advocated by some government ministers. Over 500,000 Israelis aged between 18 and 22 are expected to be voting for the first time this month. Advertisement In a recent poll commissioned by Channel 12, 74 percent of first-time voters described their policy views as right or center-right — a higher share than the broadly right-leaning public at large. Palestinians wave the national flag and celebrate by a destroyed Israeli tank at the southern Gaza Strip fence east of Khan Younis on October 7, 2023. (AP/Yousef Masoud) The trend stands in contrast to many Western democracies where young people are among the most left-leaning voters — with some in recent years motivated by outrage over Israel’s actions in Gaza. But the right-wing turn of Israeli Jewish youth has been building for around two decades, said pollster and analyst Dahlia Scheindlin. “Older people… remember the hope of reaching full, comprehensive peace agreements with the Palestinians,” Scheindlin told AFP. “Anybody who’s an 18-year-old now, his or her entire political consciousness is under [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu; it’s a very ultra-nationalist environment,” she said. “Peace is not in people’s minds.” At the same time, it’s not a given that young voters will be voting mainly for parties supporting Netanyahu: His leading rival in the polls, Gadi Eisenkot, is a centrist but hawkish former army chief who has said Palestinian statehood is not on the table, while the opposition also includes longtime right-wing politician Avigdor Liberman and his Yisrael Beytenu party. Advertisement ‘Real future’ At a gathering of young activists for the left-wing Democrats party in Tel Aviv last month, 18-year-old Gili said she felt society had turned its back on peace. “I think especially young people, when they see something so huge happening, something that hurts so deeply and affects everyone, like what happened on October 7, then the first tendency is fear, to be afraid, and not to believe that peace is possible,” she told AFP. “It’s really logical that everyone kind of became more and more right-wing, and more and more extreme.” Israeli youth attend a meeting for first time voters hosted by The Democrats party in a park in Tel Aviv, September 24, 2026. (Ilia YEFIMOVICH/AFP) The Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel resulted in the deaths of some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the kidnapping of 251 to Gaza, amid widely documented atrocities and systematic targeting of civilians. The ensuing war between Israel and Hamas has killed over 74,200 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave, although the toll does not differentiate between combatants and civilians. The Israeli military believes that Hamas’s overall toll is largely accurate, with IDF officials estimating that two to three civilians were killed for every dead terror operative. The IDF says it has killed over 24,000 combatants in Gaza and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught. Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques. Gili and her friends at the rally said they supported The Democrats’ vision of a political agreement with the Palestinians. Advertisement “Conflict management is not a solution, and I don’t think the current situation can go on,” said Yuval, an 18-year-old from kibbutz Tel Yitzhak in central Israel. “Certainly not if we want to raise our children here, if we want to believe we have a real future for ourselves.” ‘Win decisively’ For yeshiva student Yishai Neeman, who hopes soon to enlist in a combat unit in the military, the horrors of October 7 and the wars that followed strengthened his resolve to fight for the country. People sit outside a public bomb shelter in Haifa, March 10, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90) Neeman, who is now 19, was at a synagogue when he heard of Hamas’s attack and spent his final years at boarding school running to bomb shelters. From his home in the central city of Petah Tikva, Neeman said he would be voting for the Religious Zionism party of far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Neeman said he wanted peace, but felt it wasn’t possible under the current conditions. Israel should annex the West Bank, he said, and “erase their hope for a Palestinian state.” Soon heading to fight himself, Neeman said he wasn’t in favor of endless wars, but that Israel “can’t return once more to the understanding that preceded October 7.” “That’s why now we must fight and win decisively.” Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism , please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting. — Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist Support our work Support our work Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You're a dedicated reader We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE , as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members. Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel Join Our Community Join Our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this Most Popular 1 PM’s ex-military secretary: Netanyahu prioritized political survival when he could have saved hostages’ lives 2 US imposes sanctions on ICC, hours after Nobel award to former judge 3 Anti-Israel groups urge boycott of Andrea Bocelli’s Jordan concert; he played Tel Aviv in 2022 4 US said preparing options to renew Iran war, including plan for 3 days of intense strikes 5 Police said to believe there is enough evidence to charge PM’s chief of staff for altering records 6 Netanyahu’s former military secretary alleges attempt to alter October 7 records 7 Anti-Israel Greens’ chief Polanski loses UK parliamentary election to Labour candidate 8 EgyptAir pilot sparks fear after posting El Al plane video with threatening speech on Oct. 7 read more: Israel Inside 2026 Israeli election October 7 Hamas atrocities 2023-2025 Israel-Hamas war If you’d like to comment, join The Times of Israel Community. JOIN THE TOI COMMUNITY Already a member? Log in here close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register Paying ToI Community members are invited to comment on articles Email address * Please use the following structure: [email protected] Continue Or Continue with By joining you agree to the terms and conditions Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition back close popup Register to continue Email address * Change REGISTER Or Continue with back close popup Log in to continue Email address * Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.. Continue back close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register You are currently registered. Please join The Times of Israel Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits Only ToI Community members can comment below articles Email address * Password * Incorrect password. Please try again or choose an option below. Forgot your password? / Send me a login link Continue Sign in without joining Or Continue with close popup Check your email We sent an email to you at . It has a link that will sign you in. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. back close popup Join The Times of Israel Community Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits. Email address * Please use the following structure: [email protected] JOIN NOW! close popup Thank you! Now check your email You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.