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With nearly 86 percent of votes tallied, Israeli broadcasters projected Netanyahu’s bloc of right-wing, far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties to win 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset while the opposition group led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot was set to take 48. Arab parties stood to claim a record 19 seats, leaving neither side with an obvious path to a governing majority even as final counts continued. Reuters reported that Netanyahu would remain caretaker prime minister during coalition negotiations that could stretch for weeks or lead to another election next year.[[1]](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/netanyahu-eisenkot-stake-rival-claims-lead-israel-after-deadlocked-vote-2026-10-28/)
The Central Elections Committee placed turnout at 77.7 percent, the highest level in more than two decades and seven points above the 2022 figure, reflecting intense public engagement in the wartime ballot. Far-right parties led by Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich were forecast to secure a combined 13 seats within Netanyahu’s alliance, according to the same projections. Eisenkot’s diverse bloc spanning center-left to hard-right forces had underperformed relative to some pre-vote surveys that had forecast a closer contest.
Netanyahu addressed supporters after midnight and called for the formation of “a strong, right-wing national government,” Reuters noted in its coverage of the Likud party gathering in Jerusalem. The prime minister also raised the prospect of renewed joint action on Iran while stressing Israel’s recent military successes. Eisenkot warned security officials against political pressure and stopped short of claiming victory as the count proceeded toward completion on Thursday.
Israeli markets reacted sharply to the stronger-than-expected showing by Netanyahu’s group, with the shekel weakening nearly 2 percent against the dollar and the Tel Aviv benchmark index dropping around 3 percent in early trading. A Reuters financial dispatch attributed the moves to investor concern over prolonged political uncertainty and the prospect of a fragile future administration. The country’s economy has nevertheless demonstrated resilience in recent years, underpinned by its technology sector, artificial intelligence investments and elevated defense outlays despite three years of conflict.
Across the wider Middle East, reactions to the partial outcome ranged from pessimism to resignation, with analysts in Cairo and Beirut telling Reuters that both Netanyahu and Eisenkot were viewed as hawks offering little prospect of regional de-escalation. Palestinian citizens of Israel, who turned out in large numbers, appeared poised to double their parliamentary representation and potentially act as kingmakers, though Eisenkot has largely ruled out formal partnerships with Arab parties. Yousef Jabareen, leader of the Arab-dominated Joint List, indicated his group would seek to bolster the opposition from outside any government while opposing the military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon.
President Isaac Herzog is expected to invite the head of the largest party to attempt coalition building once definitive results are certified, a process that Reuters correspondents said could extend for months given the arithmetic barriers facing both blocs. Netanyahu has served as Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, returning to office after the 2022 vote with a 64-seat coalition that this election has now diminished. Failure by either side to assemble 61 seats would likely trigger fresh polls, prolonging the caretaker arrangement and its constraints on policy execution.
