Israel election results live: Netanyahu bloc and main opposition set to fall short of majority as 84% of ballots counted

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Israel election results live: Netanyahu bloc and main opposition set to fall short of majority as 84% of ballots counted

With more than 60% of ballots tallied, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s camp is narrowly ahead of the opposition, but still short of a clear majority.

✦ Extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting•From 5 sources•1 min read•Updated October 28, 2026, 12:06 PM UTC

Key points

The leader of the Jewish opposition bloc, the retired general Gadi Eisenkot, appeared to rule out such a broad coalition in a premature declaration of victory overnight for what he called a “Zionist majority”.
Last night’s exit poll indicated that Netanyahu’s Likud Party plus right-wing bloc and challenger Gadi Eisenkot’s coalition were neck-and-neck, but with well over half of votes now counted, it appears […].
But instead there was stunned silence at the watch party for Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) in central Israel as results from the exit polls flashed across the screen, with most channels suggesting the party would remain on just six seats.

Anxious Israelis watched election results take shape Wednesday after the highest turnout in over a quarter-century, as no clear winner emerged and weeks of negotiating could lie ahead for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and an array of opposition parties trying to unseat him.

Additional details

The election in Israel remains on a knife-edge and there is still a strong chance Benjamin Netanyahu could be asked to form the next government.
While partial results show the pro-Netanyahu bloc ahead of the anti-Netanyahu bloc, the final tally could take days.
Israeli voters in Tel Aviv expressed mixed emotions as ballots were counted after the election.
Netanyahu and Smotrich rail against Arab voters as rival political camps face an uncertain path to power.

How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →

Every article behind this summary — 12 articles from 5 outlets

Israel election results live: Netanyahu bloc and main opposition set to fall short of majority as 84% of ballots counted

Every article behind this summary — 12 articles from 5 outlets

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