Up to 67,000 Israelis living abroad are returning home to vote in the Oct. 27 election, many hoping to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid anger over the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza.
The US-based nonprofit AID-Coalition estimates that number through its Fly&Vote initiative. About half are travelling from the United States, while others are coming from Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Most Israelis abroad must return in person to vote. Adam Pines, 47, travelled 7,500 miles from Los Angeles, spending $2,900 on flights and $3,500 on accommodation. He blames Netanyahu for failing to prevent the attacks.
“I feel Israel has lost its moral compass,” Pines said.
Hamas-led militants killed more than 1,200 people and took 251 hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. By Oct. 19, 2026, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported at least 74,480 Palestinians killed and 175,539 injured in the ensuing war.
Days before the election, thousands gathered in Tel Aviv on Oct. 24 for a final large rally against Netanyahu and his government. Demonstrators demanded a commission of inquiry into the security failures that enabled the attacks, an inquiry Netanyahu has refused.
His chief election rival, Gadi Eisenkot, attended the rally, which echoed earlier weekly protests demanding the release of hostages held in Gaza. All hostages or their remains were eventually returned, but Netanyahu has faced accusations that he delayed deals that could have freed them sooner.
Netanyahu had also faced mass protests over judicial reforms proposed in 2023 that raised concerns about the judiciary’s independence.
Among other returning voters, Orit Eyal-Fibeesh, 55, travelled from Britain to support the opposition Democrats. Yuval Yashiv, 62, returned to vote for the first time since 1999.
More than 7.3 million registered voters are eligible to choose the Knesset’s 120 members on Oct. 27.
