Israel election results live: vote count underway as exit polls point to tie between Netanyahu and Eisenkot blocs

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>Both blocs fall short of the 61 seats needed to form a government in initial forecasts as support for Palestinian parties surges</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/28/israel-election-exit-polls-suggest-netanyahu-eisenkot-blocs-tied-ntwnfb">Full report: Coalition talks loom as Israel exit polls suggest Netanyahu and Eisenkot blocs tied</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/27/palestinian-parties-knesset-election-exit-polls-redraw-israel-political-landscape">Analysis: Rise of Palestinian parties in Knesset will redraw Israel’s political landscape</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/28/israel-election-results-what-we-know-so-far-ntwnfb">Israel election: what we know so far</a></p></li></ul><p><strong>Israel could be in for weeks of political haggling after exit polls and partial official results showed neither Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition nor the opposition bloc led by former general Gadi Eisenkot had won enough seats to form a government.</strong></p><p>The polls published by Israel’s major TV networks show Netanyahu’s governing bloc tied with the opposition grouping led by Eisenkot on 51 seats each, short of the 61 seats needed to form a majority coalition government.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/28/israel-election-results-live-updates-exit-polls-netanyahu-likud-eisenkot-latest-news">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.