Overview
- Tuesday's television projections showed the opposition bloc led by ex‑army chief Gadi Eisenkot with a narrow advantage while Benjamin Netanjahu's Likud remained the largest single party but neither side reached the 61 seats needed for a majority.
- Turnout was exceptionally high, with multiple official counts reporting record participation at several checkpoints and polling times, driven in part by tens of thousands of Israelis who returned from abroad to vote.
- Police arrested three people on suspicion of voter bribery linked to Ra'am and the Central Election Commission called the episode an isolated case while opening an investigation that could affect public trust and close margins.
- Arab parties made significant gains in early projections, increasing their leverage and raising the possibility that they could enable a minority or coalition government if negotiating blocs choose to work with them.
- Final results will shift as routine counts of soldiers' and reservists' ballots proceed and the president will later task the lawmaker judged most likely to form a coalition with the complex, potentially lengthy bargaining that follows.