A road sign stands in front of a large billboard featuring Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) of the Likud party and his main center-right opponent, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, in Ramat Gan, Israel. Israel heads to the polls on Oct. 27. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israelis are convinced that elections scheduled for Tuesday are the most pivotal in their nation's history.

Will they vote out Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — and his coalition of far-right, ultranationalist and religious political parties — because he failed to prevent the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust?

Or will they reelect him to continue his campaign of retaliation, waging wars that aim to reshape the Middle East?…