The elections - the first since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel and the wars which followed - are widely seen as a referendum on Benjamin Netanyahu.
Amnesty International said the verdict against Attalah and independent outlet Mada Masr represented "a crushing blow to press freedom".
The BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Landale reports from Jerusalem as ballots are cast.
Israel faces what many view as one of the most pivotal elections in the country's history.
The attack on a village in Syria killed five people, including women and children, Syrian health officials said.
The next fortnight sees two elections on different continents. The outcomes will shape geopolitics and the global economy, writes James Landale
No group has yet said it was behind Friday's shooting attack in the village of Hmoud, which left nine Christians dead.
The sailors received medical treatment before being flown back to Iran, Sri Lankan authorities said.
After three years of regional war, this is a battle Israel always knew was coming, writes Lucy Williamson.
Security and democracy emerge as central issues in Israel's highly anticipated general election, as Middle East correspondent Lucy Williamson reports.