Full coverage· Politics· Updated 07:24

Netanyahu Bloc Leads in Israeli Election With 91% of Votes Counted

With 91% of the votes counted in Israel's 26th Knesset elections, the political bloc supporting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads with 53 seats, while the opposition alliance led by Gadi Eisenkot has 48. Neither bloc has yet reached the 61-seat majority required to form a government. The Central Election Committee has processed over 5.18 million votes, representing a voter turnout of 77.7%.

3 newsrooms · 3 languages · since 28 Oct, 22:43

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Netanyahu Bloc Leads in Israeli Election With 91% of Votes Counted — Illustration by baba

What happened

01Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc leads with 53 seats after 91% of the votes are counted in Israel's 26th Knesset elections.
02The opposition alliance led by Gadi Eisenkot is projected to win 48 seats, leaving both blocs short of a 61-seat majority.
03The Likud party is the largest single party with 26 seats, while Gadi Eisenkot's party has secured 21 seats.
04Voter turnout reached 77.7%, with the Central Election Committee processing over 5.18 million valid ballots.
05The counting of 430,000 to 480,000 double-envelope votes began on Thursday at 1:00 AM and is expected to finish by Thursday evening.
06The Reservists' Party, led by Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelekha, is currently 30,910 votes short of entering the Knesset.
07Official final results of the election are expected to be announced no later than November 4, 2026.

The Likud party is the largest single party with 26 seats, followed by Gadi Eisenkot's party, Yashar, with 21 seats. Naftali Bennett's Bayahad movement holds 12 seats. Among the Arab parties, which collectively hold 19 seats, the Joint List has 11 seats and Ra'am has 8 seats. The Democrats party holds 8 seats, while United Torah Judaism, Yisrael Beiteinu, Shas, Otzma Yehudit, and Ra'am each hold 7 seats. The Religious Zionism-Identity bloc has 6 seats. The Reservists' Party, led by Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelekha, is currently 30,910 votes short of the electoral threshold.

The counting of approximately 430,000 to 480,000 votes from double envelopes began on Thursday around 1:00 AM at the Knesset parking lot and is expected to conclude by Thursday evening. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that these preliminary results are just the prelude and that he will wait for the true results, while Gadi Eisenkot warned against further elections. The official final results are expected to be announced by November 4, 2026.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated 07:57

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