Turnout so far highest in decades as Israelis vote in pivotal election
The elections - the first since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel and the wars which followed - are widely seen as a referendum on Benjamin Netanyahu.
Polling published on Friday suggests Gadi Eisenkot (left) is in a tight race with incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu (right)
Turnout is at its highest so far in more than four decades, as Israelis vote in what many view as one of the most pivotal elections in the country's history.
Polling published on Friday suggests incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu is almost neck-and-neck with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot in the race to become prime minister.
He also made headlines in the final days of his campaign for posting an AI-generated image of a nuclear bomb hitting Tel Aviv, warning that he is the only leader who can protect Israel "if the Iranians acquire nuclear weapons". Eisenkot called him "hysterical".