Exit polls after Israel’s parliamentary election on Tuesday showed neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot reaching the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
The Central Elections Committee put turnout at 77.7%, or about 5.69 million of roughly 7.33 million eligible voters. That is the highest since 1999, when it reached 78.7%, and 7.1 points above the 70.63% recorded in 2022.
The vote was widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu’s handling of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and the wars that followed, Al Jazeera reported. Opposition leaders claimed Netanyahu had been defeated, while his side called that premature, Al Jazeera reported.
Voting day
Polls closed at 10 p.m. local time on Tuesday, and anyone still in line at that hour was allowed to vote, Al Jazeera reported.
Al Jazeera, citing Channel 12, reported that turnout among Arab citizens was about 80%. It also reported that the group ACRI had raised a complaint about delays in at least 18 communities.
What the Israel election exit polls showed
Israeli television networks published exit polls as voting ended, and the figures differ by outlet. Exit polls are not official results. The Central Elections Committee count decides the final seats.
| Outlet | Figures reported |
|---|---|
| Jerusalem Post | Channels 11 and 13: 51 seats for each bloc. Channel 12: 52 for the Netanyahu bloc. Joint List and Ra’am together: 18 to 19 |
| Al Jazeera | 51 for the Eisenkot bloc, 51 for the Netanyahu bloc, 18 for the Arab parties, attributed to an updated Channel 13 poll |
| France 24 | 52 for the Eisenkot bloc, 50 for the Netanyahu bloc, 18 for the Arab parties. Pro-Netanyahu Channel 14: 60 for Netanyahu’s side |
| Christian Science Monitor | 52 or 53 for the opposition, 50 for the Netanyahu bloc, 17 to 18 for the Joint List and Ra’am, 24 to 25 for Likud |
The table shows the figures each outlet published, not a single count. The Jerusalem Post also combined party figures across the polls: Likud about 27 seats, Yashar 20 to 22, Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad 12 to 14, the Democrats nine to 10, Yisrael Beytenu seven to nine, Shas six, United Torah Judaism six to seven and Otzma Yehudit six to seven.
The gaps are small but visible. The Jerusalem Post put Likud at about 27 seats, while the Christian Science Monitor gave 24 to 25. Across the outlets’ reported figures, the Eisenkot bloc ranges from 51 to 53 and the Netanyahu bloc from 50 to 52, and only Channel 14 placed Netanyahu’s side near a majority. Al Jazeera cited an updated Channel 13 poll.
Reaction from both sides
Yair Lapid, one of the opposition leaders, claimed a Netanyahu defeat after the polls were released, according to Al Jazeera, France 24 and the Jerusalem Post.
“The Netanyahu bloc has suffered a crushing defeat.”
Yair Lapid, as reported by Al JazeeraEisenkot expressed “complete lack of confidence in Netanyahu and the October 7 government,” Al Jazeera reported.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar replied that “the celebrations on the left are premature,” the Christian Science Monitor reported.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Itamar Ben-Gvir called a unity government with Eisenkot “a terrible mistake.”
Why the Arab parties matter
The arithmetic explains the deadlock. In the Al Jazeera and France 24 figures, the two blocs hold 50 to 52 seats each and the Arab parties hold 18, which adds up to the full 120. Neither side reaches 61 without them. On those figures, the Eisenkot bloc would need nine or 10 more seats and the Netanyahu bloc 10 or 11, a gap only the Arab parties’ seats could fill.
The Arab parties are projected at 17 to 19 seats across the outlets, enough to push either bloc past the line. Al Jazeera reported that Netanyahu and Eisenkot have both ruled out partnering with them. France 24 said Eisenkot has all but ruled it out.
The one poll near a majority for Netanyahu’s side was from Channel 14, which France 24 described as pro-Netanyahu. It put his side at 60, one seat short.
Mansour Abbas of Ra’am said: “We will transform the mandate we received into a new reality in the country,” Al Jazeera reported.
If no bloc can form a majority, Netanyahu could stay on as caretaker prime minister during negotiations, France 24 reported.
For other recent election coverage, see the site’s reports on Lula’s win in Brazil’s runoff and on Vucic’s concession in Serbia’s parliamentary election.
What happens next
Coalition talks were expected in the coming days, Al Jazeera reported. The Christian Science Monitor said counting could continue into Friday, Oct. 30. Final seat counts will come from the Central Elections Committee.
Sources
- Al Jazeera: exit polls following Israeli elections indicate no clear winner
- Al Jazeera: exit polls trigger heated debate across Israeli political divide
- Al Jazeera: Israel election turnout highest in 50 years as voting continues
- France 24: Israel election, record turnout, Netanyahu and Eisenkot deadlock
- The Jerusalem Post: Israel election 2026
- The Christian Science Monitor: Israel election, Netanyahu, Eisenkot and the Knesset
