Israel election results 2026: When will we know who won and what’s next?

What the report says

Israelis are voting in a national election that Al Jazeera says could reshape the country’s political direction after years marked by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, the war on Gaza, escalation in the occupied West Bank and wider regional tensions. The ballot is also being watched as a test of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership amid criticism over security failures, efforts to recover captives held in Gaza, corruption allegations and disputes over military service for ultra-Orthodox Jews.

According to the report, polls opened on Tuesday at 7am local time and were due to close at 10pm, with around 7.3 million eligible voters. Exit polls are expected shortly after voting ends, but a final result may take days if no bloc secures a clear majority. Al Jazeera notes that Israeli television channels have projected Netanyahu’s bloc and the opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot as tightly matched, with neither clearly on track for the 61 seats needed in the 120-seat Knesset.

The article explains that Israel uses proportional representation, so parties win seats according to their share of the vote, and a party must clear a 3.25 percent threshold to enter parliament. Official results are expected later in the week, while formal publication is scheduled for November 4.

If no majority emerges, President Isaac Herzog will consult party leaders and ask the lawmaker judged most likely to form a government to try to build a coalition within 42 days. If talks fail, the current government would stay on as a caretaker administration, and new elections could eventually be required.