Israeli exit polls show deadlock as neither bloc reaches governing majority

Exit poll projections broadcast by Israel's Channel 13 showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud-led coalition and the opposition bloc led by challenger Gadi Eisenkot level at 51 seats each in the 120-seat Knesset, with unaligned Arab parties projected to hold 18 seats.

Neither camp reached the 61 seats required for an absolute majority, leaving smaller parties as potential kingmakers ahead of coalition talks.

Eisenkot, head of the Yashar party and a former military chief of staff, told supporters the projections showed a complete lack of confidence in Netanyahu. Opposition leader Yair Lapid went further, declaring that Netanyahu's bloc had suffered a crushing defeat and that the public had told them to go home.

Senior figures in Netanyahu's camp rejected those characterisations. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the opposition statements premature and noted that Likud remained the largest single party in parliament.

Voter turnout reached 77.7 percent, according to the Central Elections Committee.

Leaders of Arab political factions highlighted their potential influence over coalition negotiations. Mansour Abbas, leader of the United Arab List, said his party would transform its mandate into a new reality. At the Joint List headquarters in Nazareth, candidate Faten Gattas said high participation among Palestinian citizens of Israel aimed to block the return of Netanyahu's nationalist coalition.

Political analysts said final results could shift the balance, with formal coalition talks expected in the coming days.