Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in a tight race seen as a referendum on his leadership since the October 7, 2023, attacks.
With most votes counted, Israel is facing political deadlock, with neither Netanyahu nor his main rival, ex-military chief Gadi Eisenkot, within reach of the 61 seats needed for a governing majority in the 120-seat parliament, the Knesset.
The current projections have Netanyahu’s bloc taking 53 seats, a drop from the 68-seat coalition he led in the outgoing Knesset. His Likud party is still set to be the largest single party.
Netanyahu is Israel's longest-serving prime minister in history.
He was sworn in for his sixth term in December 2022, 18 months after he was ousted from power.
Netanyahu became Israel's youngest-ever prime minister in 1996 and served until 1999. He led Israel's government again from 2009-2021.




































































