Live: Polls open in first Israeli election since October 7 attack

Newswire and Rupavahini News report that final results from Israel’s general election put Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition of right-wing and far-right parties ahead with 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset. The opposition grouping led by centrist Gadi Eisenkot won 48, while Likud was the largest single party with 27 seats, according to Newswire. Earlier or partial-result reports from Daily Mirror, Lankadeepa and Newsfirst (සිංහල) also said Netanyahu’s camp was leading but lacked a parliamentary majority.

Newswire reports that the Arab party groupings Raam and Joint List won 19 seats together, making them potential kingmakers. Rupavahini News likewise says the two parties’ combined result could be decisive in forming a government. A majority requires 61 seats, according to Newswire, and the election left no bloc at that threshold.

Newswire reports that the result could lead to lengthy coalition negotiations and that another election remains possible if talks fail. The same outlet says the final count followed claims by Netanyahu’s camp that Arab-Israeli groups had received foreign money to influence voting, including allegations that Raam was funded by Qatar for vote-buying. Raam rejected wrongdoing and welcomed an investigation, while the Joint List also rejected the claims, according to Newswire.

Newswire reports that Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security service was investigating suspected irregularities, while saying the probe was not intended to blame an entire community. The outlet also reports that the Central Elections Committee’s acting director general dismissed suggestions of widespread problems as groundless. Rupavahini News says opposition figures, including Eisenkot and Arab party leaders, accused Netanyahu of seeking to challenge the results’ legitimacy; it also reports that Netanyahu’s party accused Arab parties of having stolen the election.

Written automatically by AI from the outlets’ own reports, and not reviewed by an editor. It can be wrong — the original report is the authority.