Netanyahu's governing coalition has shrunk to 57 seats, down from 62, as the opposition led by Yair Eisenkot secures 47 seats and Palestinian-led parties win 16 seats. Preliminary counts show that over 2.1 million ballots have been processed, with 42% of the total counted.
This is an entry from: Live: Palestinian gains block Netanyahu and opposition from forming government, exit polls show
Netanyahu's bloc down to 57 seats, as 42 percent of ballots counted
28 October 2026 04:36 GMT
Data from the Central Elections Committee indicates that over 2.1 million ballots have been counted, nearly 42%.
Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc remains in the lead, but has gone down to 57 seats. Eisenkot’s bloc follows in at 47 seats, while Palestinian-led parties hold 16 seats.
Military clashes have rapidly intensified across the Persian Gulf region following the outbreak of hostilities launched against Tehran by Israel and the United States in late February. Hostile actions now endanger commercial shipping around Oman, while cross-border aerial strikes trigger emergency alerts in Saudi Arabia. Amid this mounting regional instability, high-level administrative upheaval continues inside the Pentagon.
A fragile lull in hostilities is deteriorating as planning advances for strikes against Iranian nuclear and energy infrastructure, threatening to ignite a broader energy crisis. Washington is pausing additional attacks until after the November midterm elections, but an ongoing American naval blockade and shifting regional military doctrines keep tensions critically elevated. Diplomatic solutions remain blocked by hardline political posturing in both Tel Aviv and Washington.
Official economic forecasts indicate that total welfare expenditure will escalate to £431bn by 2030, driven heavily by sickness and disability support. To address this financial pressure, the government is preparing conditional assistance modeled on late-1990s Labour initiatives rather than enacting blunt spending reductions. Specific policy mechanisms are being finalized through independent reviews before the next general election.