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Election Exit Polls Show Netanyahu Bloc Short of Majority
Exit polls from the 26th Knesset elections on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, show a tight race between the political blocs led by Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot, with neither bloc projected to reach the 61-seat majority required to form a government. The elections saw a record-breaking voter turnout.
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What happened
- 01Exit polls from the 26th Knesset elections on Tuesday show neither the Netanyahu nor the Eisenkot bloc reaching a 61-seat majority.
- 02Initial exit polls projected the Eisenkot-led bloc with 53 seats and the Netanyahu-led bloc with 50 seats.
- 03An updated Channel 13 exit poll on Wednesday showed the Netanyahu and Eisenkot blocs tied at 51 seats each.
- 04The Likud party, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, is projected as the largest party, winning between 25 and 27 seats.
- 05Gadi Eisenkot's party is projected to win between 21 and 23 seats across the different television exit polls.
- 06The elections for the 26th Knesset were preceded by a record-breaking voter turnout.
- 07Arab parties are projected to win between 17 and 18 seats, holding potential influence over the next government.
Initial exit polls showed the bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot with 53 seats, ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc with 50 seats. According to Channel 13, the Likud party was projected as the largest single party with 25 seats, followed by Eisenkot's Yishr party with 23. Kan 11 projected Likud at 25 seats, Eisenkot's Yesh! party at 21 seats, Together led by Naftali Bennett at 14 seats, and both the Joint List and The Democrats at 10 seats each.
An updated exit poll from Channel 13, released early Wednesday, October 28, 2026, showed the Netanyahu and Eisenkot blocs tied at 51 seats each. In this updated poll, Likud gained two seats to reach 27, while Eisenkot's Yashar! party fell to 22 seats. The Arab parties were projected to win 18 seats, leaving them with potential influence over the formation of the next government.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated
Latest report: Maariv. Read Maariv’s originalThe coverage
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Election Exit Polls Show Netanyahu Bloc Short of Majority
