Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves following exit polls for Israels national election, at Likuds election headquarters in Jerusalem, October 28, 2026; former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, waves an Israeli flag following the exit polls. (Reuters)

The Israel election 2026 has left Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc short of a parliamentary majority , with hundreds of thousands of special ballots still awaiting verification and counting. According to The Times of Israel, the count of regular ballots put Netanyahu’s bloc at 53 seats, the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot at 48, and Arab-led parties at 19, all short of the 61 seats needed to form a government.

The remaining double-envelope votes could alter the final distribution of seats and influence coalition negotiations. The Times of Israel reported that around 600,000 such ballots were awaiting counting, while Ynet put the expected number at more than 650,000.…