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Israel election: no majority for Netanyahu or Eisenkot as count continues

With about 71% of votes counted in Israel's Oct. 27 election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc had about 54 of 120 seats and Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc about 47, both short of the 61 needed to govern, with Arab-led parties at about 19. Roughly 600,000 absentee ballots won't be fully counted until Thursday.

By US Brief desk · Updated 2026-10-28T04:11:00-07:00

AI-assisted · US Brief desk · Sources listed below

The Knesset, Israel's parliament building, in Jerusalem

What happened

Israelis voted Tuesday in the first national election since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. Turnout was 77.7% at the close of polls, the highest since 1999, Israel's Central Elections Committee said, as reported by the BBC and AP.

Why it matters

Israel's next government will set security policy after two years of war and decide whether to open an independent inquiry into Oct. 7, which the opposition wants and Netanyahu has resisted. Military conscription for ultra-Orthodox men and Netanyahu's corruption trial, in which he denies the charges, were also major issues. A deadlock could mean another election, with Netanyahu staying on as interim prime minister.

More context

Exit polls: The first broadcaster exit polls at 10 p.m. local time had the blocs roughly even. Updated overnight, Kan and Channel 13 showed Netanyahu's bloc and Eisenkot's "change bloc" tied at 51 seats each, while Channel 12 gave Netanyahu 52 to 49, the BBC reported. Israeli exit polls are often revised and the final count can swing by several seats, The Guardian noted.

The count so far: With about 70.7% of votes counted, Netanyahu's bloc had 54 seats, Eisenkot's bloc 47 and Arab-led parties 19, Ynet reported. Likud led all parties with about 20.7% of the vote (27 seats), ahead of Eisenkot's Yashar with about 16% (20 to 21 seats). AP noted Likud's share was below its 23.4% in 2022. These are partial, unofficial projections.

Each side's reaction: Netanyahu told supporters at Likud headquarters that his right-wing bloc had a "great majority" and called for "a strong, right-wing national government," the BBC reported. Eisenkot had said on election day he was "convinced we will finish tonight with change and a new spirit." Some of Eisenkot's likely partners have ruled out relying on Arab parties, AP reported, which limits his path to 61.

What's still unknown: About 600,000 absentee ballots, mostly from soldiers and about 10% of the total, won't be fully counted until Thursday, the BBC said. Official seat allocations can differ from projections, and coalition talks could take weeks. Parties complained of polling-station irregularities Tuesday; the Central Elections Committee said it had no evidence of systematic tampering.

7 listed sources

References listed by US Brief; a source count is not a verification score.

Editorial sourcing notes

Sourcing: BBC, AP, The Guardian, NBC News and Ynet, with turnout and partial count from Israel's Central Elections Committee as reported. Updated Oct. 28 with exit polls and partial results; figures will change as absentee ballots are counted. Photos are file images.

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