Israeli exit polls indicate deadlock in Tuesday's election

Israel's election ​ended in an apparent deadlock on Tuesday, ‌exit ​polls by major television networks showed, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main rival Gadi Eisenkot on track for a majority in ‌the 120-seat Knesset. The stalemate could work in Netanyahu's favour, allowing the long-serving prime minister to remain in power in a caretaker capacity while parties try to forge a governing coalition.

Final results could take days, and Israel's ‌fragmented political system leaves smaller parties potential kingmakers. No single party has ever won 61 seats outright ‌in the 120-seat Knesset, making coalitions the norm. The vote drew record turnout as Israelis passed wartime judgment on Netanyahu in the first election since the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, and the ensuing wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

The policies of ⁠Netanyahu's ​right-wing coalition have been divisive ⁠at home and deepened Israel's international isolation, but he has portrayed himself as the leader with the mettle to face down ⁠Israel's foes. Netanyahu, 77, has served as prime minister for nearly 19 of the past 30 years and has repeatedly ​survived political crises. He entered the election facing longstanding corruption charges, which he denies, and criticism ⁠over intelligence failures that allowed Hamas-led militants to kill 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.

Eisenkot, 66, a hawkish former military chief who ⁠lost ​a son and two nephews in the Gaza war, emerged as Netanyahu's strongest challenger, stressing his security credentials while positioning himself as a centrist domestically. He entered politics only four years ago and joined Netanyahu's ⁠war cabinet after the Hamas attack, but quit eight months later, criticising the prime minister's leadership.

Unless one ⁠of them can ⁠assemble a majority, Israel faces prolonged coalition talks or another election. (Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell and Rami Ayyub in Jerusalem, Lili Bayer in Tel Aviv; Writing ‌by Tom Perry ‌and Michael Georgy; Editing by Howard Goller, Joe Bavier, ​Peter Graff and Kevin Liffey)