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Update from Israel
October 15, 2026
Prepared by and sent from Jewish Federations of North America's Israel Office
Jewish Federations will host two more webinars in our elections series featuring Israeli political experts Haviv Rettig Gur and Miri Eisin: “One Week until Israel’s Elections” (October 19), and “24 Hours after the Results: What Do We Do Now?” (October 28). Click here to register. For background on the Israeli election system, read our explainer and watch our new video, designed for a Federation audience.
- Israeli teen killed by unexploded Hezbollah munition on school hike in northern Israel
- Twelve days until Israel's elections, polls show neither bloc near a majority
- Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia escalate as US weighs renewed strikes on Iran
Tragedy in the North
- On Monday afternoon, an unexploded munition killed ninth grader Elazar Yair Wilensky and wounded 24 students and teachers from the ORT Ma'alot school during an approved class hike near the Lebanese border. According to a preliminary police investigation, a student found the device and put it in his backpack, and it exploded several minutes later. The IDF said it was "likely a cluster bomb belonging to the Hezbollah terror organization that had been left in the area," from a rocket fired during the war. Wilensky, from Ma'alot-Tarshiha, was the youngest of five children. Several of the wounded, including a 61-year-old teacher, were hospitalized in serious condition.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu and Education Minister Yoav Kisch visited the wounded at Rambam hospital in Haifa. Netanyahu instructed the IDF Home Front Command to reinforce public warnings against touching unexploded ordnance and to carry out extensive searches for similar items. The Education Ministry said the approved route was outside the area that has been closed due to war damage, and the IDF and police are investigating the route the group actually took. The Ministry temporarily banned school hikes near the northern border, but lifted the ban today with new instructions to staff on the rules against touching suspicious objects.
- Israeli security officials estimate there may be hundreds or even thousands of unexploded munitions scattered across the country after three years of war. Responsibility for clearing them is divided between the Defense Ministry's National Mine Action Authority, the IDF, and the police.
Israeli Elections
With 12 days to go until the October 27 election, the latest Channel 13 News poll, published Tuesday night, shows neither bloc close to a 61-seat majority. The pro-Netanyahu bloc fell four seats from the network's previous poll. The parties are currently predicted to win the following number of seats each:
Anti-Netanyahu Bloc: 50 Seats
Yashar (Eisenkot): 20
B'Yachad (Bennett-Lapid): 12
The Democrats (Yair Golan): 9
Yisrael Beytenu (Liberman): 9
Pro-Netanyahu Bloc: 51 Seats
Likud (Netanyahu): 18
United Torah Judaism (Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox): 8
Otzma Yehudit (Ben Gvir): 8
Shas (Sefardi ultra-Orthodox): 7
Religious Zionism-Zehut (Smotrich): 6
Amcha Yisrael (Ofer Winter): 4
Center Bloc (Leaning Anti-Netanyahu): 4 Seats
Reservists-Economic Party (Yoaz Hendel): 4
Arab Parties Bloc: 15 Seats
Joint List: 9
Ra'am (Abbas): 6
TOTAL: 120 SEATS
- Some other polls this week varied. Channel 12's poll on Monday gave the anti-Netanyahu bloc 54 seats and the pro-Netanyahu bloc 49, with Amcha Yisrael below the electoral threshold at 1.8%. Benny Gantz's Blue and White won 0.9% in that poll (and saw similar results elsewhere), far below the 3.25% threshold, but Gantz said Saturday that he will stay in the race: "Anyone who votes for me is voting for unity, not for blocs." Likud has stepped up pressure on Winter's potential voters, warning that their votes could be wasted, with Netanyahu calling Winter "Bennett 2."
- Aryeh Deri, the leader of the haredi Sefardi Shas party, said yesterday that "there will be no government in Israel with Shas's support or participation unless the status of yeshiva students is regulated," referring to legislation exempting them from military service. United Torah Judaism chairman Yaakov Asher said Monday that his party will not join a government that does not pass a draft law, adding, "We do not belong to any bloc." Naftali Bennett warned that Netanyahu would "continue to fund draft dodging" in exchange for Shas's support.
- In an interview on Tuesday, Netanyahu said reports that Iran is trying to orchestrate an attack to influence the election were correct: "They want to do it directly or via one of their proxies." Yesterday, asked on Army Radio about a possible preemptive strike on Iran before the vote, he said, "It is not convenient for us, it's no good," adding, "Even if Iran fires missiles at us they will blame me." Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot said that "after three years of war, in my eyes, the prime minister is not fit to carry out another operation."
- Israeli media reported Tuesday that Netanyahu had urged President Trump to renew the fighting against Iran before the election, and that Trump told him he could "go ahead and prepare," without making a commitment. The Prime Minister's Office denied that Netanyahu was seeking a war before the vote. Asked why he has not endorsed a candidate in Israel's election, Trump said, "We haven't even thought about it. I may be doing something."
- Former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who indicted Netanyahu, began testifying in the prime minister's corruption trial on Sunday. He said he had not approved every police investigative step, although he had approved all the principal ones, and acknowledged that he had not reviewed all 315 examples of alleged media bribery listed in the Case 4000 indictment. "The truth is coming out," said Netanyahu, who attended the hearing. Likud demanded that the trial "be halted immediately upon the conclusion of Mandelblit's testimony."
- Israeli media aired excerpts from the police interrogation of Netanyahu aide Jonatan Urich, who was indicted in June for allegedly transmitting and possessing classified information. According to the report, Urich asked ChatGPT in September 2024 for a strategic plan to improve Qatar's image among Israelis, Jewish communities, and US opinion leaders. Urich confirmed submitting the queries, but said, "I did nothing with them."
- Bennett and Lapid's B'Yachad party published a plan to strengthen Israel-Diaspora relations if it joins the next government. It would move responsibility for Diaspora ties from the Diaspora Affairs Ministry to the Foreign Ministry, create a Diaspora Jewry Council that would choose a non-voting observer to the Knesset, keep Robinson's Arch as a space for prayer "in diverse ways" without changing arrangements at the Western Wall Plaza, and establish a National Authority for Combating Antisemitism. "Israel's relationship with world Jewry isn't merely of critical strategic importance; they are our family," Lapid said.
- President Herzog said he would "really, truly do everything in my power to prevent another round of elections," and pledged to work toward a stable government after the vote.
- Voting began today at 101 polling stations in 99 Israeli missions abroad, open to about 4,800 diplomats, Jewish Agency emissaries, and their families. The first ballots were cast in Wellington, New Zealand. The ballots will be flown to Israel and counted with the rest of the votes.
- Watch this election debate held in English this week with representatives of nine parties.
Conflicts
- The IDF said a strike in Gaza City on Tuesday killed Mumen al-Ay, an aide to senior officers in Hamas's Gaza City Brigade, who held hostages during the war. The IDF said he was rebuilding Hamas capabilities "in systematic violation of the ceasefire." Strikes on Sunday and Monday killed three Islamic Jihad operatives in Khan Younis and two members of Hamas's Nukhba force in Rafah.
- Tuesday marked one year since the release of the last 20 living hostages and the Sharm el-Sheikh peace summit. The State Department said there has been "real progress toward a demilitarized Gaza, where Palestinians can live without Hamas rule," but that rebuilding "will be an arduous, multi-year process, and implementation will be difficult." The remains of all deceased hostages have since been returned, the last of them, Ran Gvili, in January.
- On Tuesday, President Trump said, "We'll make a decision on Iran very soon," and later told a rally in Alaska, "Wait until you see what we do to Iran. We're going to do a number." Attacks on shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz continued, with Iran's Revolutionary Guards claiming a cargo ship sank after hitting a mine. Brent crude rose to about $106 a barrel.
- Israeli media is reporting that US strike plans could include the GBU-43/B “Mother of All Bombs,” the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal, against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Trump orders renewed fighting. The bomb weighs about 21,600 pounds and was first used in combat against ISIS in Afghanistan in 2017.
- British Prime Minister Andy Burnham told Parliament on Monday that the September 27 incident at RAF Fairford, a base used by the US military, was "highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran." Britain sanctioned two Iranians, including the head of counterespionage for the Revolutionary Guards. The US, Britain, and 32 other countries, along with the EU, issued a joint statement condemning Iran's "use of violent attacks," saying, "Iran should be in no doubt that we are united." The next day, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said Iran-linked operations had led to more than 50 arrests in Britain in the past year, adding, "Sadly much of this aggression has been aimed at British Jewish communities, with whom I want to express solidarity."
- The Houthis' war with Saudi Arabia has also escalated. A missile attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on Saturday killed at least 12 people, including a US citizen, and wounded more than 300. Netanyahu condemned "the horrific terrorist attack" and extended Israel's "deepest condolences" to the victims' families. On Tuesday night, a missile struck Saudi Aramco's headquarters complex in Dhahran, causing what Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry called a "limited fire" and no casualties. The Saudi-led coalition has struck Houthi fuel and military sites in Yemen. Asked whether Saudi Arabia had requested Israel's help, Netanyahu said, "There are barely any Middle Eastern states that aren't asking us for help."
Other Developments
- Yesterday, Colombia opened its embassy in Jerusalem, becoming the tenth country to do so, after the US, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Fiji, Somaliland, and Nauru. Visiting Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula Escobar called Israel “a strategic partner,” saying, “Today, we are taking a concrete step toward restoring diplomatic relations between us.” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called the move “a recognition of the simple political fact that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital,” and “the beginning of a golden age in relations between our two countries.” Colombia’s former president, Gustavo Petro, cut ties with Israel in May 2024 over the war in Gaza, closing the embassy in Tel Aviv and ending a free trade agreement. His successor, Abelardo de la Espriella, took office in August and has reversed that policy. The free trade agreement was reinstated on Tuesday. At the ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlighted the growing warm relations between Israel and numerous South American countries.
- Last Friday, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Navi Pillay, 85, a former UN human rights chief who chaired the UN commission of inquiry that accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. Israel's Foreign Ministry said, "The Nobel Committee rewarded the greatest lie of the 21st century, and Joseph Goebbels is surely applauding from hell." The Prime Minister's Office called Pillay a "bigot" who built her career on "blood libels against the one and only Jewish state."
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick hosted a memorial at the State Department yesterday for the at least 46 American citizens murdered on October 7. CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper also addressed the families. Ruby Chen, father of slain soldier Itay Chen, called for a US congressional inquiry into the attack, saying, "Unfortunately, the Israeli government has not seen fit to establish a state commission of inquiry."
- Israel's Defense Ministry and the Pentagon signed an agreement for 12 new Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, the newest model, scheduled for delivery at the start of the next decade. The government approved nearly $320 million toward the purchase. "The procurement of the Apache helicopters is a critical step in the IDF's force buildup," Defense Minister Katz said.
- At a regional summit in Baku, President Herzog met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Bahrain's Foreign Minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani. Herzog and al-Zayani discussed strengthening the Abraham Accords. "The friendship between our countries is of deep value, and we are committed to continuing to nurture it," Herzog said of Azerbaijan.
- On Monday, the High Court ordered the Defense Ministry and the IDF to provide a timetable for the return of displaced residents from camps in the Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams areas in the northern West Bank. Tens of thousands of residents were cleared out during a major IDF counterterrorism operation in 2025 against what it described as hotbeds of terror activity. The court accepted that security conditions do not yet allow residents to return. Defense Minister Katz described the IDF's presence in the camps as "permanent," saying it is "not a judicial issue but an operational security issue" and crediting it for terrorism in the West Bank having "dropped 80 percent to its lowest-ever rate."
- Police arrested Kfar Saba Mayor Rafi Sa'ar and his wife on Monday on suspicion of taking bribes to rig municipal tenders, including in sanitation, education, and business licensing. Seventeen people were arrested and seven others questioned in the case. According to the allegations, the mayor's wife was the main contact for the bribes.
- Emirati low-cost airline, flydubai, has suspended its Tel Aviv flights through at least October 31, following last month's attempted hijacking, amid a dispute between Israel and the UAE over security arrangements at Dubai airport. Israeli airlines are still awaiting approval to resume flights to the UAE. More than 7,400 Israelis have returned from Dubai on special flights, some via Abu Dhabi.
- Amazon is reportedly in talks to buy Israeli AI startup Decart for around $7 billion. The company was founded in 2023 by Dean Leitersdorf and Moshe Shalev, who met while serving in the IDF's Unit 8200 intelligence unit.
- Last Thursday, the European Parliament voted 381-167 for a resolution calling on EU countries to consider adding Muslim Brotherhood-linked individuals and organizations to the EU terrorist list, and to tighten checks on EU funding to groups tied to political Islam.
For more information, please contact: Jewish Federations of North America’s Dani Wassner [email protected]. Subscribe to this weekly update here.
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