Jerusalem:Voter turnout in Israel's legislative elections has reached 55.7% by 4 pm on Tuesday, marking the highest figure recorded for that hour since 1973, According to Central Elections Committee.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, Din Livneh, the acting chair of the committee, stated that over 4.08 million voters had cast their ballots. This turnout rate is significantly higher than the 47.5% recorded at the same time during the previous elections.

Livneh emphasized that the current turnout is 'the highest it has been' since the committee began recording such data. The number of voters increased by 17.2% compared to the corresponding point in the previous elections held in 2002. Earlier in the day, at 2 pm, turnout was recorded at 44.9%, with more than 3.29 million voters having already participated.

The high turnout has been partly attributed by Extremist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to strong participation among Arab voters and in left-wing strongholds. The elections involve over 7.3 million eligible voters who are selecting members for the 120-seat Knesset.

Polling stations across the country opened at 7 am local time and are scheduled to close at 10 pm (2000GMT). These elections mark the first general polls in Israel since the start of the genocidal war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.