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Israelis, on the Frontlines and at Home, Hit the Ballots
Benny Gantz, leader of Blue and White party, and his wife Revital stand next to a voting booth as Israelis began voting in a parliamentary election, at a polling station in Rosh Ha’ayin, Israel April 9, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Nir Elias.
Tuesday finally marked the day of the Jewish state’s repeatedly-delayed municipal elections, initially planned for October but pushed back due to the war with Hamas. According to law, soldiers are able to vote all day at the various polling stations, including 12 in Gaza that were opened last week to allow those fighting in unpredictable situations to vote early.
An estimated 7.2 million Israelis, including almost 750,000 first time voters, are eligible to vote in the five year municipal election cycle – the next cycle only planned to be four years due to the delay. There are 242 municipalities with elections across the country, including over 11,000 polling stations. Included in the voters are 10,177 prisoners, according to the prison system, who can vote at one of the 61 polling stations set up in Israeli prisons.
Due to the complexity of counting ballots cast in the midst of battle, it is anticipated that results for the elections will not be announced for at least a few days. It is estimated that some 400,000 soldiers will be eligible to vote in the municipal elections, and per the IDF, roughly 30,000 soldiers voted prior to 10 A.M. local time.
President Isaac Herzog called on all Israelis to vote.
“The local government affects our lives in a very dramatic way, every life circle of Israeli citizens is handled by the local authorities,” he said. “Therefore, if we really want to influence the direction of our lives, it is best to go out and vote in the elections for the local authorities, this has been proven on several occasions And how in a war, in an emergency situation, we see the municipality and the local authority and council handling and facing a multitude of challenges and nothing more important than that.”
Members of hostage families are showing up at polling stations, hoping to voice their plight electorally.
“I also ask and tell everyone, you will see various booths and polling stations that represent the families of the abductees and above all our demand — demand and prayer to see the abductees and the abductees at home soon,” Herzog added. “Please, approach them, hug them, sympathize with them, and give a real sense of brotherhood and solidarity, that Israel guarantees each other – because there is no greater mitzvah than the redemption of captives.”
Even some soldiers are running in the election.
An estimated 4,000 reservists are on party lists across the country, many of whom are unable to leave their duty and campaign. This fact caused outcry by some politicians, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who said in December that the elections must be further postponed.
Due to the war, 11 municipalities in the north and south are not casting ballots due to the fact that they have been evacuated. Their elections are scheduled for November 19, 2024.
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Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi lays a wreath as he visits the burial site of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, June 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A member of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli air strike on Tehran alongside a member of an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group, a senior Lebanese security source told Reuters and the Iraqi group said on Saturday.
The source identified the Hezbollah member as Abu Ali Khalil, who had served as a bodyguard for Hezbollah’s slain chief Hassan Nasrallah. The source said Khalil had been on a religious pilgrimage to Iraq when he met up with a member of the Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada group.
They traveled together to Tehran and were both killed in an Israeli strike there, along with Khalil’s son, the senior security source said. Hezbollah has not joined in Iran’s air strikes against Israel from Lebanon.
Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada published a statement confirming that both the head of its security unit and Khalil had been killed in an Israeli strike.
Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli aerial attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs in September.
Israel and Iran have been trading strikes for nine consecutive days since Israel launched attacks on Iran, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran has said it does not seek nuclear weapons.
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Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip
Israeli soldiers operate during a ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, July 3, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), in cooperation with the General Security Service (Shin Bet), announced on Friday the killing of Ibrahim Abu Shamala, a senior financial official in Hamas’ military wing.
The operation took place on June 17th in the central Gaza Strip.
Abu Shamala held several key positions, including financial officer for Hamas’ military wing and assistant to Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas’ military wing until his elimination in March 2024.
He was responsible for managing all the financial resources of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza, overseeing the planning and execution of the group’s war budget. This involved handling and smuggling millions of dollars into the Gaza Strip to fund Hamas’ military operations.
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Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2025. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
i24 News – Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, the New York Times reported on Saturday citing unnamed Iranian officials. It is understood the Ayatollah fears he could be assassinated in the coming days.
Khamenei reportedly mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications.
Khamenei has designated three senior religious figures as candidates to replace him as well as choosing successors in the military chain of command in the likely event that additional senior officials be eliminated.
Earlier on Saturday Israel confirmed the elimination of Saeed Izadi and Bhanam Shahriari.
Shahriari, head of Iran’s Quds Force Weapons Transfer Unit, responsible for arming Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, was killed in an Israeli airstrike over 1,000 km from Israel in western Iran.
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