Israel exit polls show Likud leading, no majority

Shafaq News- Middle East (Updated at 00:27)

Polling stations closed across Israel on Tuesday, with turnout reaching 74.3% two hours before voting ended, as exit polls projected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud as the largest party in the 120-seat Knesset but showed neither political bloc securing a majority.

According to a Channel 12 exit poll, Likud was projected to win 24 seats, followed by Gadi Eisenkot's opposition Yashar party with 22.

The survey projected 52 seats for the bloc of Jewish-led parties opposing Netanyahu, compared with 50 for his alliance, leaving both short of the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority.

Arab-led parties were projected to win a combined 18 seats, potentially giving them greater influence over the formation of Israel's next government.

The Joint List, an alliance of Hadash, Ta'al and Balad led by Yousef Jabareen, was projected to secure 11 seats, while Mansour Abbas's Ra'am (United Arab List), which ran separately, was projected to win seven.

Earlier, Israel's Central Elections Committee rejected a request by Likud to extend voting beyond the scheduled closing time of 10 p.m. local time (11 p.m. Baghdad time).

The election is Israel's first since the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, and comes amid scrutiny of Netanyahu's handling of the attack and the subsequent wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

Read more: Israelis vote in first election since October 7 attack