Netanyahu and his main rival Eisenkot look set for deadlock as Israeli election exit polls suggest no clear winner

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and rival Gadi Eisenkot offered competing claims to lead Israel after Tuesday's election, with Netanyahu calling for a right-wing government and Eisenkot saying voters had rejected the longtime Israeli leader, even as exit polls showed no clear winner. uncertain

Israel's Central Elections Committee was tallying votes on Wednesday and it will likely take until Thursday before definitive results of the election - the first since the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023 - are known. asserted

With some 48.4 per cent of votes tallied, Netanyahu's bloc was projected to win 55 seats, and Eisenkot's bloc 50 seats, with 15 seats going to Arab parties, Israeli media reported, a distribution that will likely change as more votes are tallied. asserted

That leaves both sides short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, and neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot claimed victory. asserted

While the projected results may represent a setback for Netanyahu and his nationalist-religious coalition, a deadlock could work in his favour, leaving the 77-year-old in office as a caretaker prime minister during what are likely to be prolonged coalition negotiations or even until another election can be held. uncertain

Netanyahu's bloc rules out forming a government with Arab parties, which themselves campaigned on a platform of bringing down the prime minister and his far-right allies. asserted

Eisenkot, the leader of the Yashar party and a former military chief, has all but ruled out forming a government with Arab parties, complicating his path to power. asserted

Far-right religious parties led by Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich were projected to take a combined 13 seats within Netanyahu's bloc – with no major gains for either of them. asserted

sraeli Prime Minister and Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu waves to supporters at the Likud Party election-night event Supporters cheer and sing songs at the Likud Party election-night event People spray sparkling wine as they celebrate early exit poll results in Tel Aviv asserted

Netanyahu, addressing party faithful after 3am at the Likud election headquarters in Jerusalem, called for the formation of 'a strong, right-wing national government.' asserted

He also highlighted Israel's military successes and raised the prospect of renewed joint action with US President Donald Trump against Iran. asserted

'Israel faces a singular historical opportunity, together with our partner President Trump, to remove the existential threat of Iran once and for all. asserted

But ulterior motives must not divert us from this sacred mission,' he said. asserted

Trump, who endorsed Netanyahu, was asked early on Wednesday about the election after a campaign trip to Texas, and said he did very well. asserted

'You know, it's pretty close, which was very well. asserted

Because I think when the endorsement went out, it helped him a lot, but I actually heard he did pretty well. asserted

It might be winning or tie. uncertain

The tie is sort of considered a win in that case because it's a big chess match.' asserted

Eisenkot said the public had voted against Netanyahu remaining prime minister and urged him to retire from politics, while warning against the use of Israel's security for political purposes. asserted

'Netanyahu is a caretaker prime minister, without a mandate or the people's trust,' Eisenkot said, calling on the security establishment to 'stand firm' against any attempt to put political interests ahead of Israel's security. asserted

Voter turnout was 77.7 per cent, Israel's Central Elections Committee said, the highest in more than two decades and around 7 percentage points higher than in 2022. asserted

Throughout the day, Netanyahu urged his supporters to cast their votes, calling it an 'emergency' and a 'matter of life and death'. asserted

Emotions were running high throughout the country on Tuesday with one voter in Jerusalem telling the Daily Mail: 'This is critical, and it's never been as critical.' She said she had come from kibbutz Nirim, which was attacked on October 7. asserted

In Kiryat Shmona, a Netanyahu stronghold near the border with Lebanon, a man kicked and tore down a poster of the prime minister's leading rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. asserted

In Tel Aviv, some families of those killed in the Hamas-led 2023 attack and families of former hostages held a moment of silence. asserted

'Remember all those whose voices are no more,' said Yona Adam, the mother of Mapal Adam, who was killed. asserted

At a polling station set up in a Jerusalem school, some said they were voting for change while others said they only trusted Netanyahu to keep them secure. asserted

'He's not responsible for October 7,' said Nisim Cohen, a reservist. asserted

He added that he wants Netanyahu to win the election and continue the wars in Gaza, Lebanon and with Iran until Israelis can sleep peacefully. asserted

Zipporah Bennett, an 85-year-old retiree, also said she was voting for Netanyahu 'because he has had the experience of navigating the country through a lot of difficult seasons', praising his support from the US and adding: 'He's a man who's not afraid to take action.' Alexandra, a 65-year-old voter in Jerusalem, said: 'I want change in our country. asserted

I want a good democratic centrist government.' asserted

Israel's fragmented political system leaves smaller parties potential kingmakers in coalition negotiations that have run to weeks or months after past elections. asserted

If neither bloc can form a government, another vote may need to be held, something Eisenkot opposed given the high voter turnout. uncertain

Meanwhile, the Israeli shekel weakened modestly on the indecisive result. asserted

If projections hold, Netanyahu's right-wing bloc, which at its height held 68 seats, would fall short of the 61 needed to govern, leaving him with no clear path to forming a government. asserted

Eisenkot, 66, who lost a son and two nephews in the Gaza war, emerged as Netanyahu's strongest challenger, stressing his security credentials while positioning himself as a centrist domestically. Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot waves an Israeli flag as he addresses his supporters at the election night rally Supporters of the Joint List alliance celebrate as the first exit polls are announced Supporters of Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit) party, react following exit polls Israelis cheer at a public fountain after the first exit polls were announced, in Tel Aviv He entered politics only four years ago and joined Netanyahu's war cabinet after the 2023 Hamas attack, but quit eight months later, criticising the prime minister's leadership. Eisenkot offers a break with Netanyahu's leadership and far-right allies, but not with the hawkish approach to security that has become more entrenched since the 2023 Hamas attack. He opposes Palestinian statehood and says Hamas' military wing must be destroyed or dismantled. asserted

Eisenkot says Israel's response - a war that has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities - was a failure because Hamas remains in charge. uncertain

The headquarters of the Joint List, an alliance of several Arab parties, burst into whistles and applause when exit polls were released, on a historic night for turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel. asserted

'We refuse the occupation and racism, and we will remain here,' said Faten Gattas, a candidate in the Joint List, in a speech at the alliance's headquarters in Nazareth. asserted

Candidates hoped high Arab turnout would allow them to play a decisive role in blocking Netanyahu's coalition from returning to power. asserted