Jerusalem:Israel's Central Elections Committee has turned down a request from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party to prolong voting hours past the scheduled closure time of 10 pm (2000GMT) on Tuesday.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, the committee's presidium confirmed that polling stations would close at the predetermined time. However, voters who were already in queues before the deadline would still be allowed to cast their ballots.

The Likud party had requested the extension, citing congestion and long waits at polling stations, a request that was also supported by Otzma Yehudit. In contrast, Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party opposed the extension, stating that no exceptional circumstances warranted such a change and accusing Likud of attempting to challenge the election's integrity.

Voter turnout reached 66.7% by 6 pm (1600GMT), marking the highest participation rate at that hour since 1973, as reported by the Central Elections Committee. More than 7.3 million Israelis were eligible to vote in this election, which involved selecting members for the 120-seat Knesset. Polling stations had opened at 7 am local time, and this election is Israel's first general election since the outbreak of its genocidal war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.