Eisenkot campaign manager: "Far from victory" on election day

Ronen Manlis, the campaign manager for Gadi Eisenkot, issued a warning on Tuesday as voting was underway in the Knesset elections, cautioning supporters against reading early turnout figures as a sign of success. Manlis claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's campaign is succeeding and called on Eisenkot's backers to continue working to bring additional voters to the polls.

"Friends," Manlis opened his message on X, making clear that he sees no grounds for declaring victory at this stage of election day.

"We're far from victory," he wrote, immediately following with a sharp accusation against the prime minister and his team: "Netanyahu and his friends' campaign of lies is succeeding."

Manlis went on to address the turnout data, warning against drawing early conclusions about the election results. According to him, the figures published so far should not distract from the continued work needed throughout election day.

"We must not rest on the laurels of the turnout data, that's not the story right now," he emphasized.

Manlis did not stop at a warning, laying out a series of actions he said must be taken to ensure the participation of additional voters. Among other things, he addressed people who had left queues at polling stations, a shortage of ballot slips, and the need to encourage family members and neighbors to come out and vote.

"We must make sure everyone votes, whoever left the queue comes back, no one leaves the polling station without voting, demand ballot slips where there aren't any, get out neighbors, uncles, grandfathers, grandmothers," he wrote.

In his remarks, Manlis presented the turnout data as a figure that should not be relied upon at this stage, making clear that as far as he is concerned, the central task remains increasing participation in the elections.

He closed his message with another call to his supporters: "Yalla," and added: "We need you," and "What's happened until now is not enough."