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Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Netanyahu, Eisenkot locked neck-and-neck in exit polls; results out on Oct 30
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: The revised exit polls reversed an earlier trend that had favoured the opposition, with Israel's Channel 12 now handing 52 seats to the Netanyahu bloc, and 49 to Eisenkot and others.
- 16 Sec agoGap between Netanyahu, Eisenkot blocs narrows as more votes counted
- 11 Mins agoTrump would want an Israel govt without Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, says Israeli report
- 13 Mins agoB'Yachad's Bennett claims ‘Netanyahu has lost’, says ‘we have a country to fix’
- 16 Mins agoHaredi parties say ‘won’t rule out' coalition with Eisenkot
- 17 Mins agoIsrael's Central Election Committee data shows Likud in lead after 100,000 ballots counted
- 19 Mins agoRZP's Smotrich says Arabs won't stop ‘revolution’ in West Bank
- 22 Mins ago‘Forbidden to establish government that leans on Arab parties,’ says Netanyahu
- 42 Mins agoNetanyahu claims right-wing bloc will have ‘decisive majority’ among ‘Zionist public’
- 48 Mins agoFour parties below 3.25% in partial vote count
- 52 Mins ago25.2% Knesset votes counted, Likud in lead
- 1 Hr 2 Mins agoOfficial vote counts start trickling in
- 1 Hr 7 Mins agoNetanyahu says ‘Israel has unique opportunity with Trump to eliminate Iran threat’
- 1 Hr 10 Mins agoNetanyahu vows to form ‘strong’ right-wing government
- 1 Hr 30 Mins agoIsrael's exit polls stage overnight reversal as Netanyahu gains ground
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Israel's exit polls reversed overnight as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was predicted to have a narrow lead on his main challenger, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. The revised exit polls reversed an earlier trend that had favoured the opposition, with Israel's Channel 12 now predicting 52 seats to the Netanyahu bloc, and 49 for Eisenkot and others. However, the exit polls pointed to a political deadlock with no clear winner, with major Israeli TV stations suggesting a neck-and-neck contest....Read More
Voting ended in Israel on Tuesday in a high-stakes national election, in which a total of 7,331,981 Israelis were eligible to vote. The polls witnessed high-voter turnout, with nearly 77.7 per cent of voters casting their ballots. This is higher than the turnout in the 2022 Israeli prime ministerial elections, which saw a turnout of just over 70 per cent. This is the first general election in the country since the 2023 Hamas attack.
How do elections in Israel work?
Israelis vote for parties to enter the 120-seat Knesset, instead of single candidates, under a proportional representation system. A party or coalition needs to secure at least 61 seats to form a majority government.
Parties must win at least 3.25 per cent of the national vote to enter parliament. Seats are then distributed among qualifying parties according to their share of the votes.
Official counting will follow, with the final vote tally expected by October 30. The results are scheduled to be formally published on November 4. Once the final results are available, Israeli President Isaac Herzog will consult leaders of the political parties to assess which candidate has the strongest chance of forming a government.
That candidate will have up to 42 days to negotiate with other parties and put together a governing coalition.
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Gap between Netanyahu, Eisenkot blocs narrows as more votes counted
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: With 32.5% of ballot boxes counted as of 4.51 am (local time) in Israel, partial results published by the Central Elections Committee shows the gap between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's and his rival Gadi Eisenkot's blocs narrowing.
The pro-Netanyahu bloc is currently projected to get 59 seats, while the rival bloc is projected to secure 46. The results are based on a partial vote count and will change as counting continues.
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Trump would want an Israel govt without Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, says Israeli report
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: According to US sources cited by The Jerusalem Post, President Donald Trump would want the Israeli elections to yield a coalition that does not include current finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and current national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Trump believes that settler violence undermines his vision for the region, sources added.
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: B'Yachad's Bennett claims ‘Netanyahu has lost’, says ‘we have a country to fix’
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: B'Yachad party leader Naftali Bennett on Tuesday claimed Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would lose the elections.
“Netanyahu has lost, and the October 7 government is going home!” Bennett, a former Israeli PM, claimed, according to The Jerusalem Post. He added that leaders of the bloc seeking to replace Netanyahu were continuing talks and coordinating efforts to form a new government. "Now, let's get to work,” Bennett said. "We have a country to fix!”
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Haredi parties say ‘won’t rule out' coalition with Eisenkot
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Israel's ultra-Orthodox parties have not ruled out cooperating with Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot, N12 reported on Wednesday morning.
“If Eisenkot has any sense, he will form a government and not fill the [ministerial positions] that are important to us,” N12 cited a source in Shas as saying. “If there is a reasonable conscription law, perhaps we will join later,” the source added.
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Israel's Central Election Committee data shows Likud in lead after 100,000 ballots counted
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party is leading with approximately 27% of the vote after the first 100,000 ballots were counted, Israel's Central Election Committee shared at about 2:30 am on Wednesday.
Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar held about 17% of the vote, while Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad sat at nearly 9%.
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: RZP's Smotrich says Arabs won't stop ‘revolution’ in West Bank
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Arab Israelis should not celebrate the results of the election exit polls, Religious Zionist Party chairman Bezalel Smotrich said early Wednesday morning, according to The Jerusalem Post.
He claimed Arab parties were celebrating because "they think they will succeed in stopping the revolution in Judea and Samaria." “We will not allow you to stop (it),” he said. The RZP is a far-right religious-nationalist party in Israel.
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: ‘Forbidden to establish government that leans on Arab parties,’ says Netanyahu
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following the publication of exit polls, said it would be “forbidden” to establish a coalition government which would include Arab parties.
“It is simply forbidden that we endanger Israel and establish a government that leans on Arab parties that are anti-Zionist,” The Jerusalem Post cited Netanyahu as saying. He said the Arab parties supported Hamas and called Israeli soldiers “murderers and war criminals."
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Netanyahu claims right-wing bloc will have ‘decisive majority’ among ‘Zionist public’
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the right-wing bloc will win a “decisive majority” among the “Zionist and Jewish public.”
“The right-wing bloc has a clear, decisive majority among the Zionist public, among the Jewish public and all those who support the state,” Times of Israel cited Netanyahu as saying.
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Four parties below 3.25% in partial vote count
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: With over a quarter of the votes counted, the parties which are currently below the 3.25% threshold needed to enter Knesset include Ra’am (3.2%), Reservists (2.9%), People of Israel (1.8%), Charedi Public (0.2%), Times of Israel reported.
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: 25.2% Knesset votes counted, Likud in lead
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: According to Times of Israel, 25.2% of votes have been counted. The partial vote count currently signals a lead to Likud, PM Benjamin Netanyahu's party.
Likud is placed at 32 seats, with closest rival Yashar, led by Gadi Eisenkot, following with 21 seats, Times of Israel reported. The current estimates are according to a quarter of the ballots which have been counted.
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Official vote counts start trickling in
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: The counts from Israel’s Central Elections Committee started trickling in early Wednesday morning, according to the Associated Press.
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Netanyahu says ‘Israel has unique opportunity with Trump to eliminate Iran threat’
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said he saw a “unique opportunity” with US President Donald Trump to eliminate the “existential threat” posed by Iran.
“Israel has a unique opportunity with our partner President Trump to forever eliminate the existential threat of Iran,” Netanyahu told reporters, according to AFP.
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Netanyahu vows to form ‘strong’ right-wing government
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday vowed to form a new government in the country following voting on Tuesday.
“We must put in place a strong government of the right,” Netanyahu told supporters, according to AFP. He further called on the “Jewish and Zionist majority” to unite. “It is out of the question to have a government that is backed by Arab parties,” he said.
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Israel's exit polls stage overnight reversal as Netanyahu gains ground
Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: In an overnight reversal, Israel's exit polls now show incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead. The polls had earlier favoured the opposition.
Israel's Channel 12's All TV Exit Polls has now predicted 52 seats for Netanyahu and 49 to the current opposition. It has preidcted 19 seats for the Arab parties.
