Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc took a lead in national election results on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, following the counting of approximately 92% of ballots. While Netanyahu’s Likud party and its allies moved ahead of the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot, neither side has secured the 61 seats required for a governing majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
The election followed the October 7, 2023, attacks and subsequent regional conflicts. Exit polls released Tuesday night initially projected a lead for the opposition "change bloc," but the results shifted as official counting progressed through Wednesday morning. Israeli President Isaac Herzog urged political parties to find a path to a coalition to avoid another round of elections.
Current projections show Netanyahu’s bloc on course to win 53 seats, while Eisenkot’s opposition bloc is expected to win 48 seats. Two unaligned Arab-led parties are projected to win a record 19 seats, following high turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel. Some of these voters cited Netanyahu’s policies in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as violent crime, as motivations for ending their previous boycotts of Israeli elections.
The scale of the remaining vote is significant, with approximately 500,000 to 600,000 absentee ballots from soldiers and diplomats yet to be processed. Based on the reported 40,000 votes required to secure a single Knesset seat, these outstanding ballots could shift up to 15 seats. For Israelis, the deadlock means the current cabinet will remain in power in a caretaker capacity until a coalition is formed or new elections are called.
International stakeholders, including the European Union, are monitoring the results, noting the nearly 78% voter turnout, the highest since 1999. Former U.S. President Donald Trump claimed his endorsement helped Netanyahu recover from what initially appeared to be a defeat. Official results do not legally need to be released until November 4, 2026, after which President Herzog will begin formal consultations with Knesset factions to determine who will be tasked with forming the next government.