Vote counting in the elections for the 26th Knesset is continuing, and the distribution of seats among the political blocs still leaves neither side with a majority sufficient to form a government.
According to the latest official results update on Wednesday at 8:48 p.m., with approximately 88.6% of the votes counted, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc holds 53 seats, the opposition bloc has 48 seats, and the Arab parties hold a combined 19 seats.
Likud, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, remains the largest party in the Knesset with 26 seats, having lost one seat compared to the previous update.
The Yashar Party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, receives 21 seats, also a decline of one seat, placing it second. The Joint List gains one seat, rising to 12, the same number as the Beyachad Party led by Naftali Bennett, which also receives 12 seats.
The Democrats, led by Yair Golan, receive eight seats, while Yisrael Beytenu, led by Avigdor Liberman, has seven. Ra'am, led by Mansour Abbas, also gains one seat, bringing its total to seven, the same number as United Torah Judaism, Shas, and Otzma Yehudit.
The Religious Zionism and Zehut joint list, led by Bezalel Smotrich and Moshe Feiglin, receives six seats.
According to the partial results, the bloc supporting the current coalition under Netanyahu holds 53 seats, eight short of the majority required to form a government. The opposition bloc stands at 48 seats.
The Reservists and Economic Party, led by Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelekha, receives 2.63% of the vote, while the Amcha Yisrael Party, led by retired Brigadier General Ofer Winter, stands at 1.61%.
The Central Elections Committee is continuing to receive and verify the results from regular polling stations. At the same time, votes cast in double envelopes are being processed and counted separately, following the required verification procedures.
The additional votes could change the distribution of Knesset seats among the parties, particularly where the margins between party lists are narrow.
Voter turnout in the elections reached 77.7%, the highest since 1999. Turnout among Arab voters was approximately 80%, while participation among IDF personnel stood at 79.9%.
As the counting of votes from regular polling stations nears completion, the political establishment is entering the next stage of the struggle to form a government, with neither bloc currently holding the required majority.