Netanyahu Bloc Edges to 56 Seats as Count Overturns Exit Polls, but Israel Still Has No Majority

Israel woke up on Wednesday to an election result that looked very different from the one its television networks projected the night before. As partial official counts came in, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing and religious bloc pulled ahead of the camp led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot — yet neither side is close to the 61 seats required to form a government in the 120-member Knesset. (See our earlier coverage of polling day.)

Where the count stands

By 7:45 am local time, results had been reported from 49.7% of polling stations — 6,660 out of 13,389 — covering about 2.84 million valid votes. On those numbers, Netanyahu's bloc was projected to win 56 seats against 49 for Eisenkot's bloc. The Joint List and Ra'am, which sit outside both camps, held a combined 15.

Likud remained the largest single party with 27 projected seats, followed by Eisenkot's Yashar! with 21. The Joint List and former prime minister Naftali Bennett's Beyachad were projected at 11 each, the Democrats and United Torah Judaism at nine each, and Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beytenu at eight. Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit and Shas each had seven, Religious Zionism-Zehut six, and Ra'am four.

The numbers have been moving. An earlier update with roughly 42% counted had Netanyahu's bloc at 57, and another had it at 55 with Eisenkot's camp at 50. The direction, however, has been consistent: away from the exit polls.

A night of premature speeches

When polls closed at 10 pm on Tuesday, exit polls from the main broadcasters showed the race essentially tied, with Channel 11 and Channel 13 both putting each bloc at 51 seats and some readings hinting at a slight edge for the opposition. Eisenkot moved quickly, telling supporters that Israelis had voted for change and calling on Netanyahu to step aside.

Netanyahu, speaking later in Jerusalem, struck a different note, celebrating Likud's position as the largest party and calling on what he described as the country's Zionist forces to unite. He pointedly thanked his outgoing coalition partners, signalling he does not intend to abandon them in any negotiations.

US President Donald Trump weighed in on Wednesday morning, sharing a post on his social platform crediting his endorsement of Netanyahu with turning the race around. Israel's shekel weakened sharply as the preliminary results emerged, reflecting market unease about a drawn-out political standoff.

Why the final result could still shift

The official count is far from complete. Israel's Central Elections Committee has warned that seat projections may change, particularly for parties hovering near the 3.25% threshold needed to enter parliament — a small swing there can move several seats between blocs.

The biggest unknown is the double-envelope ballots cast by soldiers, reservists, diplomats, hospital patients and others voting away from their assigned stations. Because of the war and the large number of displaced residents and mobilised reservists, officials expect an unusually high volume of these votes, which are verified separately. Counting could run into Friday.

What comes next

Even after the final tally, there is no automatic winner. President Isaac Herzog must consult every faction in the new Knesset before tasking a lawmaker with forming a coalition. On current numbers Netanyahu is five seats short and Eisenkot seven, putting the parties outside the two main blocs — and any defectors within them — at the centre of what could be weeks of bargaining, or another trip to the polls.

For India, which has deep defence and technology ties with Israel and is exposed to Middle East instability through oil prices, a prolonged caretaker period in Jerusalem adds one more layer of uncertainty to a region already in conflict.

This is an original summary based on public reporting. See our editorial policy for how we source, write, and correct our stories.