Israeli Election Exit Polls Show Opposition Bloc Leading

Israel held elections for the 26th Knesset on Tuesday, October 27. Following the closure of polling stations at 10:00 PM, major Israeli television channels released exit poll results.

According to an exit poll by Kan 11, conducted by sociologist Dudi Hassid, opposition parties are projected to win 70 seats, including 17 for Arab parties. The current ruling coalition parties are expected to secure 50 seats. The Likud party is predicted to be the largest with 25 seats, followed by Yashar with 21, Beyahad (led by Naftali Bennett) with 14, Democrats with 10, the United List with 10, Yisrael Beiteinu with 8, Otzma Yehudit with 7, Ra'am with 7, Shas with 6, United Torah Judaism with 6, and Religious Zionism with 6.

This Kan 11 poll suggests that the Likud party remains the largest, but the governing bloc would not achieve the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority.

A separate exit poll by Channel 12, conducted by the Midgam Institute, also indicated that opposition parties would win 70 seats, with Arab parties taking 18. The Netanyahu bloc is projected to receive 50 seats. This poll, based on surveys at 70 polling stations nationwide, distributed seats as follows: Likud - 24, Yashar - 22, Beyahad (Naftali Bennett) - 12, United List - 11, Democrats - 9, Yisrael Beiteinu - 9, Shas - 8, Ra'am - 7, Otzma Yehudit - 6, United Torah Judaism - 6, and Religious Zionism - 6.

Both exit polls indicate that the Netanyahu bloc would fall short of the 61 seats required to form a majority government. These results are preliminary and may differ from the final official election outcomes.