How many seats did Netanyahu and Eisenkot win in Israel's 2026 election, according to the BBC?

With about 85% of regular votes counted, BBC Middle East correspondent Yolande Knell said Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud-led bloc had 54 seats and Gadi Eisenkot's change bloc 49, both short of the 61 of 120 needed for a majority. Netanyahu's bloc had won 68 seats at the previous election. Several hundred thousand absentee ballots, many cast by soldiers, were not due to be counted until Thursday.

• Exit polls had first suggested the two blocs were running neck and neck.
• Some Netanyahu supporters were calling for a national unity government, and the chance of a rerun election had not gone away.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Global News Podcast (2026-10-28). Read the whole episode summary →

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