# Exit polls indicate Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, are tied and appear short of an outright victory. The country held its first legislative election since the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023 yesterday. Exit polls of Israel’s two leading broadcasters, Kan 11 and Channel 13, put Netanyahu’s bloc of right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties and the Eisenkot-led bloc tied on 51 seats each. A candidate needs 61 parliamentary seats to form a majority government. Final results are expected over the next 48 hours.
No clear winner as Netanyahu and Eisenkot appear short of an outright victory