Image source, Getty Images

Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party which is part of the opposition "change bloc", has called for a government to be formed that includes Arab-led parties.

Before the election Golan was the only party leader in the bloc to say he would work with the Joint list and Ra'am.

Eisenkot and the other party leaders said they would not do so, citing a lack of shared values.

With more than 70% of votes counted, the Joint list and Ra'am are together projected to get 18 seats following a high turnout among Arab Israeli voters. Neither Eisenkot's bloc nor that of Netanyahu are projected to get to the threshold of 61 seats to be able to form a government.

Golan, a left-learning former general, asserted on X that "Netanyahu has lost" the election - though current vote counts put Netanyahu's bloc ahead of the opposition bloc.

"Anyone who tries to erase the votes of Arab citizens is surrendering to Netanyahu and giving up on Israel," said Golan.

"We have an opportunity to establish a change government in partnership with the Arab citizens of Israel. A government that will serve all the citizens of Israel... We need to stop being afraid and start acting."

Image source, AFP

Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, a former deputy mayor of Jerusalem and a trade envoy, previously supported Netanyahu but joined a breakaway right-wing party, Amcha Yisrael (People of Israel), ahead of this election.

She tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme it is "incredible" that "after all these years", there is "still enormous support for Netanyahu", referencing "the disaster of October 7th".

Hassan-Nahoum says the party she joined had attempted to create an alternative on the right of Israeli politics but it looks unlikely that it will enter the Knesset.

"There is still enormous support for Netanyahu. I'm not sure if it's love or fear or maybe a combination for both of what happens without him, but that's where we're at", she says.

As a reminder, the Palestinian armed group Hamas attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Israel's subsequent military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 74,500 people according to the territory's health ministry.

No party has ever won an outright majority, which means a coalition government has always been formed.

This process begins after the votes have been counted and Israel's president will consult with party leaders, and then invite whichever leader he believes has the best chance of forming a government.

That candidate then has 28 days to form a coalition, although they can request a 14-day extension if extra time is needed.

If negotiations fail within this period, the president can choose another candidate to try to form their own coalition.

If that also fails, Knesset members can ask the president to allow a third leader to try. And if that's unsuccessful, new elections will be called.

Between 2019 and 2022, Israel held five separate elections as parties struggled time and again to co-operate.

Following the 2022 elections, Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud emerged as the biggest party, winning 32 of the 120 seats. He later formed a coalition with several far-right parties, which gave him and his allies a majority of 64 seats.

What have Netanyahu and Eisenkot said so far?published at 07:34 GMT

07:34 GMT

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

Overnight both Netanyahu and Eisenkot addressed supporters and pledged to form the next government.

"The right-wing bloc has a clear, decisive majority among the Zionist public, among the Jewish public and all those who support the Jewish state. That is what has become clear. A decisive majority," Netanyahu told his celebrating supporters – although he stopped short of declaring victory.

"We must form a strong, national, right-wing government. That is what must be done," he added.

"The public has chosen change," Eisenkot told his Yashar party after exit polls came out – most of which were initially more favourable to the opposition. "The coalition of failure has lost the people's trust. The Israeli public voted against Benjamin Netanyahu continuing as prime minister."

"I will work with my partners to ensure that the people's decision is translated into a Zionist government: stable and good for all of Israeli's citizens. And quickly – because that is what this moment demands, and because the country needs to be brought back together."

Arab-led parties could emerge as kingmakerspublished at 07:18 GMT

07:18 GMT

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

Image source, Reuters

With results still trickling in, it currently appears that Israel's veteran Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has done better than was widely predicted with his Likud emerging as the largest single party.

His existing bloc with ultra-nationalist and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties appear to be just short of a 61-seat majority in the 120-seat parliament. However, analysts caution that this is subject to change because the early count was skewed towards areas known to have strong right-wing support.

A dramatic deadlock had been widely forecast as Israelis surged to the polls – with turnout reaching more than 77%.

In Israel's fragmented political system, the signs are that Netanyahu's main rival, the former army chief, Gadi Eisenkot, would struggle to command a parliamentary majority without parties led by Israel's Arab minority. According to partial results, they have equalled or gained on their previous record number of seats.

On the campaign trail, most Jewish opposition parties pledged not to work with Arab-majority lists, citing a lack of shared values.

However, Israel's Arab-led parties could emerge as kingmakers if others were prepared to join forces with them. In this election, Arab Israelis – who often identify as Palestinian citizens of Israel and represent one-fifth of the population – appear to have turned out in unprecedented numbers.

Many see this as a make-or-break election to defeat Israel's most right-wing-ever government, accusing it of stoking racism and hatred.

Read more from Yolande here

The most recent data from Israel's central election committee still show a tight race between Netanyahu's and Eisenkot's blocs, with more than half of votes now counted.

Israeli news networks Kan News, Channel 12 and Channel 13 have published updates to their projections, giving Netanyahu's bloc 55 seats and Eisenkot's 49.

The winning bloc needs at least 61 seats in the Knesset to form a majority government.

These results are not final and are subject to change.

Voter turnout on Tuesday was the highest in decades.

It stood at 77.7% when polls closed at 22:00 local time (20:00 GMT), which was the highest at that hour since 1999, the Central Elections Committee said.

Alys Davies
Live reporter

Welcome back as we restart our live coverage of Israel's election results, with about half of the votes now counted.

Results are far from certain, with neither of the two main blocs so far on track to reach a majority in the Knesset.

According to projections, veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is ahead with 55 seats, while the bloc of his main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, has 49 to 50 seats.

Arab parties meanwhile are projected to have about 15 or 16 seats.

The seat distribution is changing every few minutes, with all votes unlikely to be counted until later on Thursday.

Tuesday's election was the first since the deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023 and the wars that followed in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

It was also seen by Israelis as one of the most consequential in the country's history, because it could decide not just their leadership but whether the country continues on its current hard-line, religious-nationalist trajectory.

Key campaign issues included accountability for the security failures that led to the 7 October attacks, the conduct of regional wars, how to share the growing burden of military service, judicial reforms, and Israel's international standing.

Image source, Getty Images

We are pausing our live coverage now. Here is what we know so far:

• There is no clear winner in the election, which remains too close to call

• Two revised exit polls showed Netanyahu's right-wing camp and his opponent Gadi Eisenkot's bloc tied at 51 seats. The winning bloc needs at least 61 seats to form a majority government.
• A third updated exit poll showed Netanyahu's bloc slightly ahead
• Arab parties are on track to record their best results ever, winning at least 17 seats, according to some exit poll data
• Netanyahu said he was waiting for "real results", vowing to form a "strong, right-wing" national government
• Eisenkot celebrated the results at his party's headquarters, telling supporters "we made history"
• Official counts are still under way, with approximately 25% of votes tallied by 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT)
• Commentators earlier said it was a "very, very bad night" for Netanyahu

You can catch up on all the latest developments in our news story here.

Before concluding his speech, Netanyahu tells his supporters that Israel has a "unique opportunity" alongside President Donald Trump to "remove the Iranian threat once and for all".

Israel and the US launched joint strikes on Iran in 2025 targeting nuclear facilities, and jointly struck Iran in February beginning the current ongoing conflict.

Commentators say it is unlikely that either a Netanyahu or Eisenkot-led bloc would change the current course of Israel's involvement in the Iran war.

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu says the current results show it is too early to call, saying he is waiting for "real results" before an outcome can be decided.

Current projections show his bloc tied with the bloc led by his main rival Gadi Eisenkot.

He says Israel cannot be led by a government held up with "Arab backing".

The Arab parties are on track to win a record number of seats, with both major blocs falling short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the Israeli parliament.

Image source, Reuters

Benjamin Netanyahu is speaking at his election rally where supporters of his Likud party have gathered.

"Likud is the largest party," he says to a cheering crowd.

"We must establish a strong right-wing national government."

While current polls show Likud has won the most seats out of any party, it still falls far short of a majority needed to form a government.

The bloc led by Netanyahu and the bloc led by opposition parties are currently tied, according to revised exit polls from two of Israel's broadcasters, while a third has put Netanyahu marginally ahead.

No party has ever won an outright majority, which means a coalition government has always been formed.

This process begins after the votes have been counted and Israel's president will consult with party leaders, and then invite whichever leader he believes has the best chance of forming a government.

That candidate then has 28 days to form a coalition, although they can request a 14-day extension if extra time is needed.

If negotiations fail within this period, the president can choose another candidate to try to form their own coalition.

If that also fails, Knesset members can ask the president to allow a third leader to try. And if that's unsuccessful, new elections will be called.

Between 2019 and 2022, Israel held five separate elections as parties struggled time and again to co-operate.

Following the 2022 elections, Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud emerged as the biggest party, winning 32 of the 120 seats. He later formed a coalition with several far-right parties, which gave him and his allies a majority of 64 seats.

New exit poll show a tie between Netanyahu and Eisenkot's blocs.

Israel's Kan 11 and Channel 13 news networks have published updates to their exit polls showing the two rival blocs projected to win 51 seats each.

Channel 12 has also revised its exit poll showing the Eisenkot-led bloc marginally behind on 50, while placing Netanyahu's bloc on 52. Earlier, they showed the anti-Netanyahu bloc slightly ahead of the incumbent prime minister.

The winning bloc needs at least 61 seats in the Knesset to form a majority government.

Official results are starting to trickle through from Israel's Central Electoral Committee with 2.5% of votes counted.

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Image source, Mahdi Kabaha

Exit polls show record gains and turnout for the Arab parties.

I spoke to one of the activists who campaigned to get out the Arab vote - 29-year-old Mahdi Kabaha, a lawyer in the mainly Arab northern town of Umm Al-Fahm.

"This is a historic night. Arab society showed up and said it clearly: we are here, and we are part of the decision," he says.

Arab voters make up about a fifth of the Israeli electorate and just over half voted in the last election. Many have been reluctant to vote in the past as they “don’t want to legitimise Israeli institutions," Kabaha says.

He has been promoting voting among the Arab community in order to remove far-right ministers like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

One of the biggest issues for Arab voters is crime in Arab areas and a lack of policing.

Kabaha campaigned for Israeli Arabs to come out and vote, telling them they should use their voting power to shape the government. “There is a big difference between [left-leaning Democrats leader] Yair Golan and Ben Gvir in the government. One wants to take more land and expel Palestinians, and the other wants to find a solution for two people,” he adds.

Tom Bennett
Reporting from Eisenkot's watch party

Image source, Reuters

Gadi Eisenkot has just arrived at his party’s HQ here in Tel Aviv, taking a long walk through the crowd onto stage, surrounded by the candidates from his Yashar Party.

“We made history,” he says. “This morning, the people of Israel went to a referendum on the leadership of the coming years. The public decided in favour of change.

"The Israeli public voted against the continuation of Netanyahu's term," he says, to big cheers from the crowd.

“In an election with such high voter turnout, it would be a mistake to go to additional elections. It is our duty, and my personal responsibility, to do everything to respect the will of the people.”

The national anthem was then played before he took an Israeli flag from the crowd and waved it, before exiting the stage.

The official vote count is starting to come through.

So far 2,670 votes have been tallied, according to Israel's Central Elections Committee. That represents almost 0.1% of the total number of votes.

Since the polling stations closed at 22:00 local time (20:00 GMT), reporting has relied on exit poll data – which is not an official count, but rather surveys of voters exiting polling stations conducted by media companies.

While the official tally so far is not a meaningful sample size, it does show the electoral body is starting to report as expected.

The turnout for this year's Israeli general election was 77.7% as of 22:00 local time (20:00 GMT) when polls closed, the country's Central Election Committee has said.

The figure represents 5,695,682 individuals having cast their vote by this time, with the committee saying it is the highest percentage recorded at that time since 1999.

Netanyahu's party being the largest in the Israeli exit polls is a "meaningless consolation prize" compared to the prediction of Gadi Eisenkot's bloc being the biggest group, a leading Israeli commentator has said.

"He's had incredible comebacks before, but for the Netanyahu coalition - this is a very, very bad night," Anshel Pfeffer, the Economist's Israel correspondent, tells BBC News.

When asked if the bloc led by Eisenkot has the best chance of forming a governing coalition according to the exit polls, he responds by saying Netanyahu currently has the least.

Pfeffer says he feels the Likud leader could only make a comeback if he manages to convince centrist parties to join him in a unity government, adding: "I'm not going to put that past him."