JERUSALEM

Opposition leader Benny Gantz has regained the lead over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent opinion polls as the preferred candidate for prime minister.

According to a Friday report by the daily Maariv, 40% of Israelis prefer Gantz for the position, while 39% favor Netanyahu.

The same poll shows that if elections were held today, both Gantz’s National Unity party and Netanyahu’s Likud party would have an equal number of seats in the Knesset, each securing 21 out of 120 seats.

According to the newspaper, the Likud party lost one seat to the National Unity party this week, bringing both parties to a tie with 21 seats each.

The poll also found that if elections were held today, Netanyahu's party would win 51 seats, the opposition would win 59, and Arab lawmakers would win 10 seats.

To form a government in Israel, a majority of 61 Knesset members is required. However, no immediate elections are expected due to Netanyahu’s refusal to call new elections amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

The last Israeli general election, held on Nov. 1, 2022, resulted in the formation of a government led by Netanyahu's far-right coalition, which officials, including US President Joe Biden, described as the "most extreme" in Israel's history.

If no early elections are held, the next parliamentary election is scheduled for October 2026.

The newspaper also highlighted the potential impact of a new party led by former right-wing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, which could significantly alter seat distribution in the Knesset.

According to the poll, Bennett’s new party could secure 23 seats, while Likud would win 19, and National Unity would grab 14 seats.

Moreover, 49% of respondents believe Bennett is the best prime ministerial candidate, while 35% prefer Netanyahu. Bennett has not, however, officially announced his return to politics.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in over 40,600 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,800 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara