A tied race and an unfinished count

Israelis woke on 28 October 2026 to exit polls showing no clear victor in an election that has been labelled the most important in the country's history. The polls published by Israel's major TV networks put Netanyahu's bloc and the opposition grouping led by Gadi Eisenkot on 51 Knesset seats each, short of the 61 seats needed to form a majority.

• •Earlier exit polls had given Eisenkot a slight lead in Knesset seats
• •More than 30% of votes had been tabulated in the ongoing final count
• •Israeli exit polls are often revised and imprecise, with final counts swinging by several seats

Netanyahu and Eisenkot claim the night

Netanyahu, 77, spoke at a post-election rally in Jerusalem just after 3am, telling supporters official results will show that "Likud is the largest party in Israel". He said the country must "establish a strong, right-wing national government" and that a government relying on Palestinian party support must not be formed.

The prime minister was unusually brief and did not directly claim victory, calling for a "strong government of the right" and saying the "Jewish and Zionist majority must unite". He also hinted at readiness for a third bombing campaign against Iran alongside Donald Trump, saying: "Israel has a unique opportunity with our partner President Trump to forever eliminate the existential threat of Iran."

Eisenkot, addressing supporters in Tel Aviv, rejected the framing outright.

He went on to say that a worthy leader would have announced his retirement from politics that day. He warned Netanyahu not to use Israel's security for political ends - "Netanyahu, don't you dare use Israel's security for your political needs" - amid fears the prime minister could launch a new attack on Iran during the uncertainty. He told Israel's security establishment they served the state, not Netanyahu, calling him "a caretaker prime minister, without a mandate or the people's trust".

A former hostage's warning

Among the voices shaping the night was Ohad Ben Ami, a former Hamas hostage, who expressed alarm that Netanyahu could come out ahead. "Three years ago, the government abandoned us," he said. Ben Ami said an Israeli citizen should never have spent a year and a half in Hamas tunnels when deals with Hamas were on the table.

On the other side, supporter Ari Marx said he was not scared of the results or of another war with Iran. "Either Bibi is going to win or there's going to be a new election," he said.

Fraud claims rejected, turnout at a record

The Central Elections Committee rejected a last-ditch request by Netanyahu and several parties to keep polling stations open beyond their 10pm deadline. Netanyahu publicly suggested the "left and Arabs" were trying to steal the election; the committee rejected the claim, saying it had seen no evidence of systematic tampering.

Voter turnout exceeded 77%, according to Israel's central elections committee - the highest in more than two decades and about 7 percentage points higher than in 2022. Palestinian parties are projected to win as many as 18 Knesset seats, up from 10.

Experts say that if Eisenkot lacks a majority, he would be obliged to negotiate with the Palestinian groupings, the Joint List and Ra'am, and coalition talks could take weeks. He might instead try to govern as a minority government, with informal vote-by-vote agreements.

Final counting remains ongoing, with more than 30% of the votes tabulated so far, and the coalition mathematics still open.