Israel's 27 October election has ended in apparent deadlock, according to exit polls from the country's main broadcasters, with neither Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's bloc nor the opposition bloc led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot reaching the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. These are exit polls, not official results, and the numbers moved as the night went on.

The Kan 11, Channel 12 and Channel 13 exit polls put Eisenkot's bloc at 52 to 53 seats and Netanyahu's bloc at about 50, down from 64 in 2022. Likud remains the largest single party, with 24 to 25 seats, against 21 to 23 for Eisenkot's Yashar party, while the Arab parties rose to about 17 to 18 seats, up from 10, putting them in a position to hold the balance of power. One later Channel 12 revision put Netanyahu's bloc at 52 and Eisenkot's at 49, a reminder that exit polls are estimates.

What happens next

President Isaac Herzog must decide whom to ask first to try to form a government, and weeks or even months of coalition talks are expected. Eisenkot said the exit polls showed an unequivocal lack of confidence in Netanyahu's government and that he would act immediately to implement the people's verdict, while opposition leader Yair Lapid called the result a total collapse for Netanyahu's bloc. Both blocs have ruled out coalitions with the Arab parties, which complicates either side's path to 61. Turnout was reported at record levels, the highest in more than two decades, in Israel's first election since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks. Official results are due from the Central Elections Committee by 4 November. Sources: USA Today, The Times and New York Post.