Israeli exit polls show huge Palestinian gains block Netanyahu from forming government

Neither Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor the Zionist opposition parties have enough seats to form a government following a huge surge in voting from Palestinian citizens of Israel, exit polls suggested on Tuesday. After polls closed at 10pm local time, public broadcaster Kan said Netanyahu’s bloc is projected to win 50 seats with the opposition set to take 53 - far short of a 61 seat majority. The Joint List and Ra'am, two slates representing Palestinian citizens of Israel, are projected to pick up 18 seats, which would be a record number of Arab MPs in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. It was clear througout polling day that turnout would be high in the first election since the Gaza genocide and various Israeli wars in the region since the 7 October Hamas-led attack. Read more: Israeli exit polls show huge Palestinian gains block Netanyahu from forming government Supporters of the Joint List cheer at the alliance's campaign headquarters in the northern Israeli city of Nazareth on 27 October 2026, as the first exit polls are announced on television (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)