Exit polls show Likud leads with 25 seats; opposition bloc edges ahead overall

Exit polls released after polling closed showed Likud as the largest single party with 25 seats, while the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eizenkot was estimated at 52–53 seats. The polls, reported by Israel’s Channel 11, Channel 12 and Channel 13, recorded unusually high turnout of 74.3 percent by 20:00. The pro-Benjamin Netanyahu right-wing bloc was estimated at 50 seats. Independent Farsi noted that despite Likud’s lead, the estimates indicate a fragile advantage for the opposition bloc overall, making the 61-seat majority hard for either camp and putting smaller Arab parties in a potentially decisive position. Khan Online reported the same polling figures and added that the distribution risks a renewed political deadlock.