The camp of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was ahead of the opposition on Wednesday after 50 percent of votes were counted in Israel's pivotal general election, figures from the Central Elections Committee showed.
After 50.1 percent of ballots were counted, Netanyahu's bloc was projected to win 56 of the 120 seats in the parliament, compared with 49 for the opposition bloc and 15 for the Arab parties. The partial results are likely to change, and several exit polls showed the camps neck-and-neck without a majority.
Exit polls released by major Israeli TV stations right after polls closed on Tuesday night and revised overnight indicated that neither Netanyahu's political bloc nor that of his main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, secured the 61 seats needed for a majority in the parliament, known as the Knesset.
Israelis vote for parties, which then form alliances to create a majority coalition, and no single party has ever won a majority.
But the inconclusive result comes as the country remains deeply divided over Netanyahu's leadership and scarred by the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the wars that have since shaken the Middle East.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in this week's elections helped him "a lot".
"I think when the endorsement went out, it had helped him a lot," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, referring to Netanyahu.
Here is the latest:
Official vote counts are being tallied overnight
The counts from Israel's Central Elections Committee kept coming in early Wednesday morning. The results are still partial as more voting stations are counted.
The count does not indicate how many seats each party will win in the parliament.
Netanyahu slams Arab parties and touts the Iran war in election night speech
Addressing exuberant supporters past 3 a.m. Wednesday morning in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said that exit polls indicate his Likud will be the largest party in the next parliament. He listed Israel's military accomplishments over the past three years and stressed his close ties with US President Donald Trump while pledging to finish the job against Iran's regime.
In a message aimed at his rivals, he said no government should be formed that relies on Arab parties.
Arab-led parties had a strong showing in Tuesday's election and could be kingmakers if, as exit polls indicate, Netanyahu's bloc and his opponents are tied and both unable to form governing coalitions.
Both main blocs cheer supporters after inconclusive results
In a sign of the uncertainty ahead, the mood at both Eisenkot and Netanyahu's headquarters was celebratory. In a speech early Wednesday in Tel Aviv that focused on national unity, Eisenkot pledged to form a government and promised "a new era — an era of hope" for Israelis.
"Today, Israel went out to a referendum over the leadership that will lead Israel in the coming years," Eisenkot said to cheers from supporters. "The people decided in favor of change."
(With inputs from AP, AFP)