Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Israel's exit polls reversed overnight as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was predicted to have a narrow lead on his main challenger, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. The revised exit polls reversed an earlier trend that had favoured the opposition, with Israel's Channel 12 now predicting 52 seats to the Netanyahu bloc, and 49 for Eisenkot and others. However, the exit polls pointed to a political deadlock with no clear winner, with major Israeli TV stations suggesting a neck-and-neck contest. ...

Voting ended in Israel on Tuesday in a high-stakes national election, in which a total of 7,331,981 Israelis were eligible to vote. The polls witnessed high-voter turnout, with nearly 56% of voters casting their ballots by 4 pm local time, according to the Associated Press. This is the first general election in the country since the 2023 Hamas attack.

How do elections in Israel work?

Israelis vote for parties to enter the 120-seat Knesset, instead of single candidates, under a proportional representation system. A party or coalition needs to secure at least 61 seats to form a majority government.

Parties must win at least 3.25 per cent of the national vote to enter parliament. Seats are then distributed among qualifying parties according to their share of the votes.

Official counting will follow, with the final vote tally expected by October 30. The results are scheduled to be formally published on November 4. Once the final results are available, Israeli President Isaac Herzog will consult leaders of the political parties to assess which candidate has the strongest chance of forming a government.

That candidate will have up to 42 days to negotiate with other parties and put together a governing coalition.

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“Israel has a unique opportunity with our partner President Trump to forever eliminate the existential threat of Iran,” Netanyahu told reporters, according to AFP.

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Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: Israel's exit polls stage overnight reversal as Netanyahu gains ground

Israel elections 2026 LIVE updates: In an overnight reversal, Israel's exit polls now show incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead. The polls had earlier favoured the opposition.

Israel's Channel 12's All TV Exit Polls has now predicted 52 seats for Netanyahu and 49 to the current opposition. It has preidcted 19 seats for the Arab parties.