Israel election live: Netanyahu and Eisenkot opposition blocs tied in latest exit polls
NEWS | 28 October 2026
From 1h ago 19.52 EDT Two Israeli networks update exit polls to show Netanyahu and opposition blocs tied Two Israeli TV networks have now updated their exit polls and are predicting that Netanyahu’s bloc will be tied with Eisenkot’s opposition grouping. Kan 11 and Channel 13, two of the country’s leading broadcasters, have revised their exit poll to put the Netanyahu and Eisenkot blocs tied on 51 seats each. Channel 12, the other main broadcaster, has Netanyahu’s bloc on 50 seats and the opposition on 52 seats – narrowing their projections from earlier in the night. A candidate needs 61 parliamentary seats to form a majority coalition government. Exit polls released earlier on Tuesday evening had Eisenkot winning most seats in the Knesset by a slight margin. Israeli exit polls are often revised after publication and are notoriously imprecise, with the final count often swinging by several seats. Earlier in the evening, Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beitenu party, warned supporters that the final results could still change after hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots cast by on-duty soldiers are counted in the coming days. Share Updated at 20.11 EDT 1m ago 20.59 EDT Netanyahu to speak soon, Israeli media report More than four hours after polls closed, party faithful are waiting for Netanyahu to address ⁠his Likud party’s headquarters in Jerusalem. Israeli media is reporting that the Israeli prime minister is set to speak soon, and live images on local TV show crowds of supporters and journalists gathering to hear from Likud's leader. View image in fullscreen Members of the media report from the Likud party election-night event in Jerusalem. Photograph: Alexi J Rosenfeld/Getty Images On a giant screen at the event a video montage has been playing showing the prime minister hugging Donald Trump alongside footage of military strikes from the assorted wars he has led since the Hamas attack. Elie Pieprz told Agence France-Presse he was feeling optimistic about Netanyahu’s chances. double quotation mark Usually things move more in our favour as the night goes on and as the morning approaches … I’m very optimistic. I feel the prime minister has performed better than some of the pre-campaign polls suggested.” Share 32m ago 20.27 EDT Nadav Eyal, a columnist in the daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, has said that the revised exit polls show its going to be a long night for election watchers. double quotation mark Historically, Israeli exit polls have tended to underestimate Likud, but shifts between blocs are usually limited to 2–3 seats at most. Allow content provided by a third party? This article includes content hosted on platform.x.com . We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as the provider may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. Allow and continue Meanwhile a minister from Netanyahu’s party has told the Associated Press he’s cautiously optimistic about the results. Amichai Chikli, minister for diaspora affairs for Israel’s government, said it was too early to celebrate the initial poll results but that the party was optimistic and had to be patient. “One thing we know for sure, those who said Netanyahu is over, the Likud is over, celebrated too early,” he said. Share 1h ago 20.01 EDT Yair Golan, the leader of the Democrats, has hinted that the opposition bloc could include Palestinian parties in its coalition, according to Haaretz. Golan, who represents the last remnants of Israel’s once dominant Labour party, has policies on Gaza and a two state solution, that track towards a more centrist position in Israeli terms. View image in fullscreen Yair Golan speaks to supporters on election eve. Photograph: Noam Galai/Getty Images Speaking to supporters, Golan said “every Knesset member elected in the democratic, legal process is a legitimate part of our political system. If there is a democratic majority to replace the government of destruction – we must actualise it.” “We are ready to work with all our partners, bridge the gaps and take responsibility,” Golan added in a statement. “The public has spoken. Now it’s our turn to do the work.” Share Updated at 20.29 EDT 1h ago 19.52 EDT Two Israeli networks update exit polls to show Netanyahu and opposition blocs tied Two Israeli TV networks have now updated their exit polls and are predicting that Netanyahu’s bloc will be tied with Eisenkot’s opposition grouping. Kan 11 and Channel 13, two of the country’s leading broadcasters, have revised their exit poll to put the Netanyahu and Eisenkot blocs tied on 51 seats each. Channel 12, the other main broadcaster, has Netanyahu’s bloc on 50 seats and the opposition on 52 seats – narrowing their projections from earlier in the night. A candidate needs 61 parliamentary seats to form a majority coalition government. Exit polls released earlier on Tuesday evening had Eisenkot winning most seats in the Knesset by a slight margin. Israeli exit polls are often revised after publication and are notoriously imprecise, with the final count often swinging by several seats. Earlier in the evening, Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beitenu party, warned supporters that the final results could still change after hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots cast by on-duty soldiers are counted in the coming days. Share Updated at 20.11 EDT 1h ago 19.42 EDT The Israeli election commission has began to release official results. The commission has published the first batch of results. It says it has tallied just 2,670 of the more than 7.3 million ballots cast. Ballots will be counted throughout the night, with clearer results expected in the coming hours. Share 1h ago 19.35 EDT Eisenkot: the Israeli public has voted for change and against Netanyahu Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of the main opposition bloc, has said the Israeli public has voted for change and against Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking to supporters at his election headquarters, he said another election would be a mistake – and he would do everything to “fulfil the will of the people.” View image in fullscreen Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, waves to supporters after the release of the first exit poll. Photograph: Ariel Schalit/AP Exit polls suggest that Eisenkot’s bloc has secured the largest number of seats, but has fallen short of the majority needed to form a government. double quotation mark Today, Israel went out to a referendum over the leadership that will lead Israel in the coming years … The people decided in favour of change.” In his speech, he also warned Netanyahu not to “use Israel’s security” for political ends, playing on fears that the prime minister could use this period of uncertainty to launch a new attack on Iran. Share Updated at 20.16 EDT 2h ago 19.24 EDT Analysis: Rise of Palestinian parties in Knesset will redraw Israel’s political landscape Julian Borger The big gains made by Palestinian parties in Israel’s general election pose an urgent and fundamental challenge to the country’s mainstream opposition: either cooperate with Arab Israelis or hand Benjamin Netanyahu a roadmap to political survival. In the wake of Tuesday’s exit polls, the leader of the opposition bloc, Gadi Eisenkot, declared them a victory for “Israel’s Zionist national majority” but the real outcome looks as if it will be far more complex than that. The greatest change between the new Knesset and the old will be the dramatically increased representation of Palestinian parties, currently projected to win 17 to 18 seats, up from 10. That redraws the battle lines on Israel’s political landscape. Arab Israelis will not so easily be sidelined and ignored. View image in fullscreen Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, waves to supporters. Photograph: Ariel Schalit/AP Eisenkot will argue that he commands the bigger overall bloc and has the better chance of negotiating his way to a Knesset majority. To do so, however, he and his partners in the “change” bloc would be obliged to sit down to talk with the Palestinian groupings, the Joint List and Ra’am (an acronym for the United Arab List). They would probably find Ra’am and its leader, Mansour Abbas, easier to talk to. Abbas has already participated in a right-leaning government of Naftali Bennett, now a junior partner in the Eisenkot bloc. Abbas has shown willingness to make political compromises and stated emphatically on Tuesday that his priority is to “bring down Benjamin Netanyahu, Smotrich, and Ben Gvir in this election”. However, most estimates based on the exit polls show Ra’am as the smaller of the two Palestinian groupings, with seven projected seats in the new Knesset and it is not clear that would be enough, even if a pact was made with the consent of the other members of Eisenkot’s bloc, to produce a majority government. View image in fullscreen Head of the Joint List alliance Yousef Jabareen (second left) celebrates with supporters as the first exit polls are announced at campaign headquarters in Nazareth, Israel. Photograph: Jamal Awad/EPA Negotiations with the Joint List, with 10 or more projected seats, would be tougher. Eisenkot has laid down four conditions: recognise Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, accept the values expressed in Israel’s declaration of independence, accept conscription for Palestinians Israeli citizens, who are currently exempt, and denounce Hamas as a terrorist organisation. Speaking on Tuesday as the votes were being counted, Amjad Shbita, the general secretary of Hadash, the socialist party that is the biggest faction in the Joint List, said Eisenkot would be in no position to impose terms for coalition talks. Rise of Palestinian parties in Knesset will redraw Israel’s political landscape Read more Share 2h ago 18.59 EDT Among the more surprising outcomes of the exit poll has been the forecast for the far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) led by public security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Ben-Gvir’s extremist, ultranationalist party was expected to better their result of six seats from the 2022 elections. View image in fullscreen Supporters Itamar Ben-Gvir react to the exit polls. Photograph: Rami Shlush/Reuters But there was stunned silence at the group’s watch party in central Israel as results from the exit polls flashed across the screen, with most channels suggesting the party would captur just six or seven seats. Ben-Gvir attempted to revive his supporter’s spirits by reminding them of all he had achieved in the past four years to further their agenda, including passing a law approving the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis and worsening conditions for Palestinian prisoners. View image in fullscreen Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit) party, speaks to supporters. Photograph: Rami Shlush/Reuters Ben-Gvir denounced other members of Netanyahu’s coalition for who had suggested a unity government with his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, which the audience booed loudly. double quotation mark This is precisely the scenario we warned against – it is a terrible mistake.” This is Jonathan Yerushalmy, picking up our live coverage from Lucy Campbell. Share Updated at 19.14 EDT 2h ago 18.33 EDT The day so far Counting is under way in what many Israelis have described as the most consequential election in their country’s history , and we expect the first round of official results to come through around 1am local time on Wednesday. It comes after record turnout had reached 77.7% as of 10pm on Tuesday, with the historic election marked by a record participation by Israeli Arab voters. Exit polls suggest that a majority of Israelis have voted against Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, issuing a sharp rebuke to the prime minister, whose political and personal future hangs in the balance . His coalition bloc is projected to win only 50 seats, a loss of 14 since the 2022 election. And while his Likud party is narrowly projected to come out as the largest party by one or two seats, this still represents a loss for the party of 25% of its seats compared to the last election in 2022. Netanyahu is thus likely to fall short of the support required to form a new coalition. In an election widely seen as a referedum on his leadership since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks, Netanyahu has certainly lost his mandate. His main challenger Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc, meanwhile, is projected to win 52 or 53 seats, and therefore also remains short of the 61 Knesset seats needed to make a majority. The former IDF chief would thus have to try to form a government with the support of the Israeli Arab parties, who are projected to win an unpredented 17 or 18 seats, though it is unclear whether that would alienate some of his political allies. There is therefore no outright winner and no simple path to power for either Eisenkot or Netanyahu, and this result is likely to set off weeks of jockeying over who can form a coalition government before a prime minister is declared or another round of elections is called. Share 3h ago 18.04 EDT Voter turnout as of 10pm reaches 77.7% - highest in almost three decades As we’ve been reporting all day, this election has seen historically high voter turnout. As of 10pm local time, when the polls officially closed, turnout had reached 77.7%, per the Central Election Committee’s latest update. The figure represents 5,695,682 individuals having cast their vote by this time. The committee said that is the highest percentage recorded at that time since 1999. Share Updated at 19.00 EDT 3h ago 17.48 EDT Israeli voters issue sharp rebuke to Netanyahu - snap analysis So, Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition is indeed projected to lose its parliamentary majority. If the exit polls are correct, his Likud party narrowly comes out as the largest party by a projected one or two seats, but this still represents a loss for the party of 25% of its seats compared to the last election in 2022. And what is more, Netanyahu’s coalition bloc is projected to win only 50 seats this time around, a loss of 14 since the 2022 election. Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc, meanwhile, is projected to win 52 or 53 seats, and therefore also remains short of the 61 Knesset seats needed to make a majority. The former IDF chief would thus have to try to form a government with the support of the Israeli Arab parties, who are projected to win a staggering 17 or 18 seats, though it is unclear whether that would alienate some of his political allies. Eisenkot himself had ruled out such an arrangement before the election, but there is precedent for a deal still being made in what will no doubt be intense negotiations to come. By contrast, analysts have argued that if the exit polls are correct, there is no clear pathway to power now for Netanyahu, unless he could somehow convince centrist parties to join his coalition. If not, he would also of course stay on in a “caretaker” capacity while opposition parties try to forge a governing coalition. Share Updated at 17.52 EDT 4h ago 17.14 EDT Israel foreign minister says opposition celebrations 'premature' Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar has said that opposition celebrations were “premature” after initial exit polls in this historic election projected a slight edge over Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc but still short of a majority. “The celebrations on the left are premature. The smugness of the biased commentators – ridiculous. One thing seems quite clear: [Netanyahu’s] Likud is the largest party in Israel,” he said on X, posting a video showing Likud’s first election win in 1977. Share 4h ago 17.04 EDT Israel election too close to call as exit polls give Netanyahu bloc slightly fewer seats Emma Graham-Harrison Israel’s election was too close to call on Tuesday night after a historic turnout by voters for an election described by some as the most consequential in the country’s history, and marked by a record participation by Israeli Arab voters. Exit polls published on Tuesday evening suggested that the opposition bloc of parties led by the former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Gadi Eisenkot, would win most seats in the Knesset by a slight margin, edging out Benjamin Netanyahu’s right and far-right coalition despite the prime minister’s Likud emerging as the largest party. The result is likely to set off weeks of jockeying over who can form a coalition government before a prime minister is declared or another round of elections is called. After a day in which Israelis streamed to polling stations across the country, exit polls suggested Netanyahu’s ability to command the loyalty of a large core of Likud party voters remained undimmed despite his rejection by large numbers of his Israelis. The predicted haul of up to 18 Knesset seats for Israeli Arab parties is likely to make them the kingmakers in what seem certain to be protracted talks to form a new government, with Netanyahu likely to fall short of the support required to form a new coalition. The exit polls – if they prove accurate – suggest a struggle for either Likud or Eisenkot’s Yashar to find a road to a majority in the 120 seat Knesset. Likud’s projected showing, not for the first time, appears to have defied predictions in the run up to the vote. What is clear, however, is that Netanayhu no longer has a claim to a mandate with his political fate in the balance. Israel election too close to call as exit polls give Netanyahu bloc slightly fewer seats Read more Share 4h ago 17.01 EDT Former Israeli prime minister and Beyachad (Together) party canddiate Yair Lapid has said that Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc has been told “to go home” in this election. He wrote on X: double quotation mark Don’t let anyone mislead you: the Netanyahu bloc suffered a crushing defeat. It is a total collapse, and the public has told them to go home. Share 4h ago 16.50 EDT Emma Graham-Harrison in Tel Aviv At the election night headquarters of the Yashar party, activists cheered the TV broadcast of exit polls showing parties making up the Jewish Israeli opposition bloc were ahead of Netanyahu’s coalition. “There’s a lot of excitement and a lot of hope for Israel’s future now,” said Itay, a 28 year-old startup founder who had flown back from the US to campaign for Gadi Eisenkot, his first time getting involved in politics. The excitement felt real, among activists and prospective Knesset members gathered at the National Sports Centre in Tel Aviv, even though Eisenkot’s own party was forecast to come in a couple of seats behind Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. “I’m really happy,” said Lia, 23, a medical student and activist, adding that she is still waiting for figures from the count, which might give Eisenkot a larger mandate. “I hope we can be even happier when the full results come in.” View image in fullscreen Supporters of Gadi Eisenkot celebrate after the release of the first exit poll results. Photograph: Baz Ratner/AP The balance of seats in the Knesset are forecast to go to parties supported by Palestinian citizens of Israel in a historic high. Eisenkot has ruled out going into coalition with the Palestinian parties, but they have indicated they might support a minority opposition government. Itay welcomed the strong Palestinian vote, which he said was a sign to the world that “this is a country where every citizen is equal”, and said he was hopeful deal could be reached to form a working government. “I’m optimistic with the results everyone can have a shared vision, all the parties can come together. Everyone has to budge, because together we are stronger.” View image in fullscreen Yashar party members during their election night event at the National Sports Center in Tel Aviv. Photograph: Amir Levy/Getty Images Share 4h ago 16.45 EDT Voters have ‘dismissed’ Netanyahu’s government, says Golan The leader of the Democrats party, Yair Golan, has also given his reaction to the exit polls, declaring that Israeli voters have “dismissed” Netanyahu’s government. He wrote on X: double quotation mark The public has spoken; it has dismissed the Netanyahu government. We have been granted a historic opportunity to form a government of genuine change in Israel, and we have no intention of letting it slip away. We represent a vast public—people who have been fighting in the streets for four years, joining political parties, and going out into the field to persuade others. We will do everything in our power to ensure that such a government is established. We are ready to work with all our partners, bridge the gaps, and take responsibility. The public has had its say. Now it is our turn to do the work. Share 4h ago 16.42 EDT Here are some reactions to the exit polls, which have projected that the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party is set to win more total seats than Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition. View image in fullscreen Supporters cheer at the Yashar party election night rally in Tel Aviv as the first exit polls gave a narrow edge to opposition parties. Photograph: Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Supporters of the Palestinian-led Joint List cheer at the alliance's campaign headquarters in Nazareth. Photograph: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Netanyahu supporters at Likud's election headquarters in Jerusalem. Photograph: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters View image in fullscreen Anti-Netanyahu activists embrace and wave flags amid falling confetti as they celebrate the exit polls in Tel Aviv. Photograph: Oded Balilty/AP Share
Author: Yohannes Lowe. Jonathan Yerushalmy. Lucy Campbell. Frances Mao.
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