Israel election: Exit polls show no clear winner, with Netanyahu's fate unclear

Then tap the "Star" or "Preferred" to keep DW News at the top of your feed. Netanyahu also rejected the prospect of a government relying on the support of Arab parties, which made strong gains in Tuesday's election. Turning to security, Netanyahu said Israel had a "unique opportunity" together with US President Donald Trump to end what he called the Iranian threat. Updated exit polls show Netanyahu's bloc and the opposition led a narrow margin. Neither side is projected to win the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. https://p. dw. com/p/5Ol0Q Skip next section Updated exit polls show Netanyahu and opposition blocs neck and neckPublished 10/28/2026Published October 28, 2026last updated 10/28/2026last updated October 28, 2026Updated exit polls show Netanyahu and opposition blocs neck and neck Patrick Große Updated Israeli exit polls suggest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is now tied with the opposition, after earlier projections showed a narrow lead for the bloc led . Public broadcaster Kan 11 and Channel 13 both put the pro-Netanyahu and anti-Netanyahu blocs at 51 seats each. Channel 12, meanwhile, is now showing the pro-Netanyahu camp with an edge at 52 seats and the opposition at 49 seats.  Kan 11's latest projection gives Netanyahu's Likud party 27 seats, up from 25 in its earlier poll. Eisenkot pledged to work towards forming what he called a "Zionist conscription government," referring to his push for broader military service obligations. "We would like to represent all Israelis," he said, adding that the country needed stable leadership and a government that represented all parts of society. A former military chief, he made the issue of eliminating exemptions from military service for Ultra-Orthodox men central to his campaign. https://p. dw. com/p/5Okr7 Skip next section Majority of Israeli public voted against Netanyahu, exit polls show10/27/2026October 27, 2026Majority of Israeli public voted against Netanyahu, exit polls show Felix Tamsut in Jerusalem Much of the Israeli media labeled the Israeli election an opinion poll on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. If the exit polls of Israel's main news outlets are anything to go by, the Israeli public voted against the country's longest-serving prime minister. While Netanyahu's current coalition includes 68 seats, the exit polls gave his bloc between 50 and 51 seats. The party already made headlines after appointing Yoav Segalovich, a Jewish former high-ranking police chief, as the number two candidate to leader Mansour Abbas. The raging criminality and violence across the Arab and Palestinian community, as well as the war in Gaza, both could have played a role in Ra'am's result.