Preliminary results from Israel's parliamentary elections on Wednesday showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and its allies leading rival Gadi Eisenkot's bloc by eight seats, with 60% of votes counted.
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However, neither bloc has secured the parliamentary majority needed to form the next government.
Israel's Channel 12 reported that preliminary Knesset seat projections, based on the partial vote count, gave Netanyahu's bloc 56 seats, compared with 48 for Eisenkot's bloc, while Arab parties secured 14 seats.
Earlier, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Netanyahu's bloc had won 59 seats, compared with 46 for Eisenkot's bloc and 15 for Arab parties, after approximately one-third of the votes had been counted.
Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that around three million votes had been counted, noting that one in every five votes had gone to Netanyahu.
Regarding the ongoing vote count, Yedioth Ahronoth quoted an election committee official as saying that the counting of double-envelope ballots would begin at midnight on Wednesday and conclude on Thursday.
Exit polls had indicated an extremely close race between Netanyahu's and Eisenkot's blocs. Updated projections from Channel 13 and the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation showed both blocs tied at 51 seats each, with Arab parties securing 18 seats.
The seat projections remain preliminary pending the completion of vote counting and the announcement of official results. A bloc needs at least 61 of the Knesset's 120 seats to form a government.
Speaking to supporters in Jerusalem early Wednesday, Netanyahu pledged to establish a strong right-wing government, reaffirming his refusal to form a government dependent on support from Arab parties.
Netanyahu said the right-wing bloc had secured a majority that justified forming a strong and cohesive government, arguing that the final results would confirm Likud's position as Israel's largest political party.
Meanwhile, Eisenkot pledged to move quickly to form a new government, despite ruling out an alliance with Arab parties. His position further complicates efforts to establish a governing coalition, given the close results and the absence of a clear parliamentary majority.
Tuesday's Israeli parliamentary elections recorded a voter turnout of 77.7%, the highest since 1999, in the first elections held since the war that began on October 7, 2023.
