Israeli Poll: Eisenkot's Party Gains Strength, Anti-Netanyahu Bloc Falls Short of Majority

A new Channel 12 News poll shows former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot's centrist Yashar party gaining momentum, potentially pulling ahead of Naftali Bennett's center-right Together alliance if elections were held today. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party still leads as the largest faction with 24 seats, but Eisenkot's Yashar party is close behind with 22 seats.

Bennett, allied with Yair Lapid, is polling at 17 seats. The survey indicates that the anti-Netanyahu bloc would collectively hold 58 seats, falling short of the 61 seats required to form a government. Similarly, the current coalition is projected to secure only 52 seats, suggesting a potential stalemate.

Among other parties, The Democrats, led by Yair Golan, are projected to win 10 seats. Both Yisrael Beytenu and the ultra-Orthodox Shas party are expected to secure nine seats each. Itamar Ben Gvir’s ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit party is projected to win eight seats, while United Torah Judaism would win seven.

When considering preferred prime ministerial candidates, Eisenkot emerges as the most popular choice against Netanyahu, with Netanyahu polling at 37% support compared to Eisenkot's 36%. However, Netanyahu is preferred by 40% of respondents when pitted against Bennett or Liberman.

In separate news, Lebanese state media reported an Israeli airstrike targeting an area between the southern Lebanese towns of Qantara and Deir Seryan. Additionally, Israel announced it will send a delegation of experts to Venezuela to assist in the aftermath of recent earthquakes.