Netanyahu's bloc leads Israeli election but falls short of a majority with most ballots counted

Summary

With most ballots counted in Israel's election, Netanyahu's bloc has 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, according to partial results reported by Middle East Eye, the BBC and The Times of Israel. Likud and its allies lead but remain short of a majority. At 90 percent counted, Eisenkot's list has 48 seats and Arab parties have surged to 19. The Times of Israel reported that further updates are unlikely before Thursday, as the Central Election Committee turns to double envelope ballots and ordinary ballots that require extra oversight.

Timeline

1. Middle East Eye

   28 Oct 2026, 15:16 UTCSource ↗

   Middle East Eye's live blog reported that with at least 85 percent of ballots counted, Netanyahu's bloc had fallen to 53 seats.

2. BBC

   28 Oct 2026, 16:59 UTCSource ↗

   The BBC reported that with 85% of ballots counted, Netanyahu's Likud party and its allies were set to win 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, leading the election but short of a majority, according to partial results.

3. The Times of Israel

   28 Oct 2026, 17:54 UTCSource ↗

   The Times of Israel reported that with 90% of votes counted, Netanyahu's bloc had 53 seats, Eisenkot's 48, and Arab parties had surged to 19, with further updates unlikely before Thursday.