LIVE Israelis head to the polls in first elections since Oct. 7 attack

One of Israel's leading Arab political parties notes at least three of its activists were arrested overnight.

Key points

• Rights groups say Israeli authorities have curtailed freedom of expression in Arab communities since Hamas' Oct.
• Israel's police remarked three residents were arrested overnight on suspicion of planning to bribe citizens to vote for Ra'am and denied attempting to interfere with the election.

One of Israel's leading Arab political parties notes at least three of its activists were arrested overnight. It it stated was one of a number of matters undermining the integrity of Tuesday's election in Israel.

Ra'am, an Islamist party led by dentist-turned-lawmaker Mansour Abbas, filed a complaint with Israel's election commission on Tuesday and remarked the arrests were carried out "without justification" in Bedouin towns in the Negev Desert.

Abbas, speaking after voting on Tuesday morning in northern Israel, called the arrests undemocratic and "an attempt to influence the election results." He additionally stated that some polling places had documented shortages of Arabic language ballots and encouraged supporters to vote regardless of unforeseen challenges.

Rights groups say Israeli authorities have curtailed freedom of expression in Arab communities since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack and arrested hundreds of individuals over political speech, including protests and social media posts. Earlier this month, Ra'am activists riding motorcycles displaying the party's flags were arrested after leaving a pre-election event outside Beersheba.

For now, lIVE  Israelis head to the polls in first elections since Oct. 7 attack remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.