90% of votes counted: How are Netanyahu, opposition blocs performing
What's the story
Almost 90% of votes have been counted but neither the bloc led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor the opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot is close to the 61-seat majority in the 120-member Knesset. The Central Election Committee (CEC) said on Wednesday afternoon that 89.8% of ballots had been counted. Netanyahu's bloc was on course to win 53 seats, while the bloc led by Eisenkot was expected to win 48 seats.
Arab representation
Arab parties set to win a record 19 seats
The two main Arab parties are set to win a record 19 seats, almost doubling their current representation.
This comes after a high voter turnout among Arab voters, who were hoping to unseat Netanyahu and his far-right allies.
The results are a major shift from pre-election polls that had predicted Eisenkot's bloc would lead over Netanyahu's bloc.
Election timeline
Remaining votes will be counted from Thursday morning
The CEC said the remaining ordinary ballots will require additional oversight, delaying their count.
Around 430,000 to 480,000 double envelope votes are also yet to be counted.
These ballots will be tallied starting early Thursday and are expected to be completed by Thursday evening.
The final official election results will be published on November 4.
Seat distribution
Seat distribution in the Knesset
As per the latest updates, Netanyahu's Likud is the largest party with 26 seats, followed by Eisenkot's Yashar with 21.
Naftali Bennett's B'Yachad and Yousef Jabareen's Joint List each have 12 seats.
The left-wing Democrats hold eight seats while far-right Otzma Yehudit and ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties have seven each.
Mansour Abbas's Ra'am and Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beytenu also have seven seats each.
Coalition challenge
Election widely viewed as referendum on Netanyahu's leadership
The election is widely viewed as a referendum on Netanyahu's leadership, especially after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks and subsequent military actions in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.
Netanyahu has called for right-wing parties to unite in forming a government, calling the prospect of working with Arab parties to form a government "a disgrace and a shame."