Oct. 27: Netanyahu claims his bloc won 'decisive majority' among ...

Key updates, 27 October 2026: Syria says death toll in Jordan strikes rises to 8 Syria says the death toll in Monday’s strikes in its south has risen to eight, as Jordan says it had targeted “terrorist organizations” after a deadly jihadist attack on a church. Health officials say “hospitals in Daraa province have received eight victims, including an elderly man and three children,” in addition to four wounded, raising an earlier toll of five dead.

El-Sayed campaign disavows PAC ad linking US inflation to Israel Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate campaign has disavowed a pro-Palestinian group’s new ad that critics say invokes antisemitic tropes about US support for Israel. The ad comes from Rebellion PAC, which is fronted by left-wing political commentator Cenk Uygur. It depicts a couple in a supermarket saying they cannot afford groceries because they have to set money aside “for killing Palestinians.”

It concludes by stating that the Michigan Democrat’s GOP opponent “is for they/them,” referring to Israelis. In a statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, an El-Sayed campaign representative says the ad “is not affiliated in any way” with his campaign and that it did not speak for him. “Abdul is focused on pushing back against Trump’s agenda that is raising prices for Michiganders,” campaign spokesperson Roxie Richner says in the statement.

“No one speaks for Abdul but himself and his campaign.” Syria shuts main border crossing with Jordan after airstrikes Syria has closed the Nassib border crossing with Jordan, suspending passenger and commercial traffic in both directions due to developments on the ground in Daraa province, the Syrian General Authority for Border Crossings and Customs says in a statement. The closure comes after Jordan’s air force struck what it described as militant hideouts in southern Syria, saying suspects behind last week’s deadly church attack in the kingdom were linked to “terrorist groups” operating there.

The Nassib border crossing is Jordan’s only passenger and commercial border crossing with Syria. Bolsonaro’s party acknowledges Brazil presidential runoff results Brazil’s Liberal Party, which housed Senator Flavio Bolsonaro’s presidential campaign, acknowledges the country’s presidential runoff results, according to a statement from the party’s head Valdemar Costa Neto. Bolsonaro was defeated on Sunday by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the runoff vote.

The senator had refused to concede and said he would seek to annul the election. “We recognize the presidential election results,” Costa Neto says. “But we believe the issues raised need to be properly clarified.” St. Louis Blues condemn ‘Israel Kills,’ ‘Free America from Israel’ signs at hockey match ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Blues have condemned what they called an antisemitic protest during a game last week at Enterprise Center. Signs that read “Israel Kills” and “Free America from Israel” were held by fans in the stands Thursday when the Blues played the Vegas Golden Knights.

In a statement, Blues owner Tom Stillman calls the signs “vile messages of hate” that were “unfortunate and unforgivable.” Stillman says the fans who held the banners were ejected from the arena. The 2026 Freedom Convoy, which said it was responsible for the protest, disagrees with Stillman’s characterization of the signs. “Criticizing Israel is in no way, shape or form antisemitic,” the group says in a statement. Saudi-led coalition reports interception of Houthi ballistic missiles The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen says it intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthis toward Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region as the fighting between the kingdom and the Iran-aligned group intensifies.

Saudi Civil Defense had issued early warning alerts for a potential hostile threat in the Eastern Region and in Kharj governorate, before later saying the danger had passed in both areas. IDF says troops arrested Egyptian national who breached the border fence overnight An Egyptian national crossed the border fence into Israel overnight, before being apprehended by troops, the military says. The IDF says the civilian was spotted by soldiers monitoring surveillance cameras crossing the Egyptian border near the Israeli town of Nitzana.

Troops were dispatched to the scene and the man was detained and taken for further questioning. The IDF says it views the incident “gravely,” and continues to be on heightened alert in the area during election day. Incidents of people illegally crossing the Egyptian border into Israel have been relatively rare in recent years. Voters start casting ballots as polling stations open across Israel Polls are now nationwide, as Israeli voters begin to cast their ballots for the 26th Knesset.

Some 7.3 million people are eligible to vote, with polling stations to remain open until 10 a.m. The final opinion surveys published before polls opened showed a tight race between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc and the opposition factions led by former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party, though both are forecast to fall short of a ruling majority if they maintain their campaign promises not to govern with certain other factions.

Families of those slain and kidnapped on Oct. 7 urge Israelis to remember victims when they vote At 6:29 a.m., the hour when Hamas terrorists began the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack, family members of those killed and taken hostage on that day gather in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square for a moment of silence, followed by statements asking Israelis to go out and vote, in memory of those who can no longer exercise that right. Sigal and Yoram Yehudai, parents of Ron Yehudai, who was killed at the Nova desert rave, tell how their son hid in a yellow garbage dumpster that day, waiting to be saved.

“On October 7, that cursed day, the State of Israel abandoned our beloved son Ron,” says Sigal Yehudai. “It abandoned him and all the citizens of Israel when it allowed thousands of terrorists to launch a murderous attack on the State of Israel. And it abandoned our Ron again and again, until 11:47 a.m.,” when he was killed. Yehudai thanks the tens of thousands of Israelis who left their families and jobs all over the world to vote in the election, to support the nation.

She asks the citizens of Israel to do the same, to vote for parties that have committed to establishing a state commission of inquiry that “will give us answers and bring peace to our weary souls.” Her words are echoed by 12 other sets of parents, including Eyal Eshel, father of Roni Eshel, the surveillance soldier killed at the Nahal Oz army base; Einav Zangauker, whose son, Matan Zangauker, was abducted and released in October 2025; Ruby and Hagit Chen, parents of Itai Chen, a soldier killed on October 7, his body taken captive, all familiar faces from months of struggling to bring home the hostages and bodies of those killed in Gaza.

“My brother loved this nation and its people,” says Ofri Tzur, whose brother, Amir Tzur, was a paramedic killed in battle in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. “Through his courage, Amiri teaches me what responsibility means. On the other hand, there are those who try to evade responsibility and obscure the truth. To convince us that everything has returned to normal. That we can elect the same government again. As though nothing happened.” She asks Israelis to go out and vote, in memory of the fallen, for the future, for the children’s future, for the sake of hope.

At the end of their statements, the speakers sign their names on a giant ballot box that is white rather than blue, mimicking the traditional Israeli death notices. Former chief rabbi Yitzhak Yosef casts vote at Rishon Lezion polling booth Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the former Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel who sits on the rabbinical council of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, casts his vote in the central city of Rishon Lezion. Earlier this year, Yosef made headlines when he said there was “no chance” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would ever repent of his secular lifestyle, but that Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot, the opposition frontrunner might.

The comments were interpreted to hint at Shas’s shifting political alliances. In August, he reportedly told students not to vote for Shas and called for the toppling of the right-wing coalition. And this month, in another challenge for the current coalition’s return and for the far-right Otzma Yehudit, Yosef wrote a letter prohibiting support for the party because Itamar Ben Gvir, its chair, has ascended the Temple Mount. זריזין מקידימין: מנהיגה הרוחני של ש״ס הראשון לציון רבי יצחק יוסף הצביע כעת כשהוא מלווה ביו״ר ועדת הבריאות ח"כ יוני משריקי pic.twitter.com/5Iw5hgNY1j — משה ויסברג (@moshe_nayes) October 27, 2026 Shas leader Deri votes in Jerusalem, warns of ‘danger to Judaism’ Ultra-Orthodox Shas party leader Aryeh Deri casts his vote in the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem, issuing an alarmist warning that high turnout among Arab and left-wing voters threatens Judaism, as he urges his supporters to head to the polls.

“There is a real struggle here over Judaism, over the Torah, and above all, over obedience to Torah authority,” Deri says. “I ask everyone, without exception, to go out and vote immediately. This is truly a situation in which Judaism is in danger. All the great Torah sages are weeping and pleading.” Deri goes on to warn of expected high turnout among left-wing and Arab voters, portraying their participation in the election as a threat to Judaism.

“There are expectations of very high voter turnout in left-wing strongholds and in the Arab sector. Tens of thousands have come from abroad to vote, bring down the government and harm the Torah,” he claims. The rhetoric echoes a familiar campaign tactic employed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his political allies, who have repeatedly sought to mobilize right-wing voters by stoking fears of Arab voter turnout and the prospect of a left-wing government supported by Arab parties.

Deri earlier this month declared that Shas will not join or support the next government unless it passes legislation preserving sweeping military service exemptions for Haredi yeshiva students. The declaration follows a similar ultimatum from United Torah Judaism, the other major Haredi party, with which Shas signed a surplus-vote agreement ahead of today’s election. אריה דרעי מצביע (צילום: יעקב כהן) pic.twitter.com/DLtBOHuSey — משה ויסברג (@moshe_nayes) October 27, 2026 Central Elections Committee says over 95% of polling stations reported opening The Central Elections Committee says more than 95 percent of polling stations have reported that they have opened around the country.

While there may be a few delays in the opening of stations, the fact that some stations haven’t reported in does not necessarily mean that they have yet to open, it says. Police investigating after Yashar billboard set on fire in Dimona Police are investigating after a Yashar party billboard was set on fire at the entrance to the southern city of Dimona overnight. אלמונים הציתו הלילה שלט של גדי איזנקוט בכניסה לעיר דימונה. המשטרה חוקרת ופועלת להתחקות אחר זהות החשודים ולעצור אותם pic.twitter.com/XXQw58UZPt — ilana curiel (@ilanacuriel) October 27, 2026 International delegation, including British MPs, said barred from West Bank ahead of Palestinian conference An international delegation, including British MPs, was blocked yesterday from crossing into the West Bank for a conference in Ramallah to oppose Israel’s rule of the territory.

The group was set to participate in Progressive International’s and Birzeit University’s Second Ramallah Congress, which includes meetings with Palestinian academics and civil society groups. The delegation of 23 representatives from France, Spain, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Greece, Holland, Ireland and the US was stopped at the Allenby Border Crossing and held for nine hours, Labour MP Sam Tarry tells the UK’s Guardian newspaper. “They made a political decision very clearly based on the fact they didn’t want people to witness what’s been going on in the West Bank, especially ahead of the elections,” Tarry says.

The British Guardian newspaper says it contacted the Israeli embassy for a comment. President Herzog and wife cast their votes in election: ‘No one can be allowed to spoil or undermine it’ President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal cast their votes for the Knesset in the neighborhood of Rehavia. “It is a great privilege to go and vote, and I am proud that Michal and I have exercised the basic right of every citizen,” he tells reporters.

“I hope this will be a true holiday for democracy,” he says. “No one can be allowed to spoil or undermine it.” “We are all equal today,” he continues. “This is our day to go and make an impact and vote.” הנשיא הרצוג ורעייתו הצביעו בירושלים: "יום חג אמיתי לדמוקרטיה לא ניתן לאף אחד לקלקל ולחבל בכך. כולנו שווים היום זה היום שלנו ללכת להשפיע ולהצביע" pic.twitter.com/6LzZXtv8aM — חזקי ברוך (@HezkeiB) October 27, 2026 בחירות2026: נשיא המדינה יצחק הרצוג ורעייתו הצביעו בבחירות בשכונת רחביה בירושלים pic.twitter.com/PEc2QrnVO5 — חזקי ברוך (@HezkeiB) October 27, 2026 Party leaders cast ballots as polls open, urge supporters to vote Party leaders begin casting their ballots as polling stations open across Israel, urging supporters to turn out in force in an election that will determine the country’s next government.

Democrats leader Yair Golan votes in Rosh Ha’ayin alongside his wife and grandson, declaring: “Today, we are saving Israel.” “We fought for four years in the streets, and now we’re taking the fight to the ballot box,” he says, calling for a strong Democrats presence in the next government. The leader of the Otzma Yehudit party, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, votes in Kiryat Arba alongside his wife, warning that a victory for the opposing bloc would produce “a Mansour Abbas government.”

“Netanyahu will be prime minister, and we will be the right-wing standard-bearer of that government,” he says. “For the sake of the people of Israel, for the eternity of Israel, for the unity of Israel. Vote with your heart, and we will achieve great success,” says People of Israel chairman Ofer Winter as he casts his ballot in Mitzpe Netofa. Winter has pledged to support a Netanyahu-led government, but his party has consistently polled below the electoral threshold.

Whether it manages to enter the Knesset could prove significant in determining the balance of the blocs. Joint List chairman Yousef Jabareen, meanwhile, calls the election a “fateful day,” saying the Arab public “believes in its ability to bring about change and send the fascist government packing.” Arab voter turnout could prove decisive in the closely contested election, with Jabareen having pledged to support any government capable of replacing Netanyahu’s coalition, even from outside the governing coalition.

Eisenkot opens election day in Nir Oz with former hostage, slams government for evading responsibility Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot begins election day campaigning at Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the communities hardest hit by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack, alongside former hostage Gadi Mozes, in a symbolic choice of location before casting his own ballot elsewhere later in the day. “I am proud and moved to begin this day with Gadi Mozes, a symbol of the Israeli spirit and strength, of Israelis’ commitment to one another and their commitment to the state,” Eisenkot says.

“I pledge to do everything I