Israel’s 2026 election results left no political bloc with a parliamentary majority in the 26th Knesset, as the Central Elections Committee (CEC) released the final results on Friday morning, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-led bloc winning 53 seats, the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party securing 48, and Arab factions accounting for the remaining 19 seats.

The outcome marked a significant decline in Netanyahu’s coalition, whose constituent parties held 68 seats in the outgoing Knesset, The Times of Israel reported.

The official results are scheduled to be submitted to Israeli President Isaac Herzog on November 4, following the CEC’s completion of final checks into any reported errors or complaints.

Herzog will subsequently hold consultations with each party leader, who will recommend their preferred candidate to form the next government.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding government formation, the newly elected Knesset is set to be sworn in on November 10.

Reports suggest that efforts to form the next government are expected to be challenging and could extend beyond two months, with neither political camp close to securing the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority.

The final voter turnout was 77.9 per cent of eligible voters, the highest figure in decades

On Wednesday, Herzog called on political leaders to make every effort to prevent another election, urging those involved in government formation talks to approach the process with an open mind.

“We must do everything we can, certainly after yesterday, to avoid another round of elections. So I expect everyone who comes here to come with an open mind,” The Times of Israel quoted Herzog as saying.

Both Netanyahu and Eisenkot have maintained that they would be the ones to form the next government.

Earlier this week, addressing supporters at the Likud election headquarters in Jerusalem after the polls, Netanyahu asserted that the right wing commanded a “great majority” among Israel’s “Zionist public” and called for the formation of a “strong right-wing government”.

He also criticised parties willing to cooperate with Arab parties, calling such an arrangement a “shame”.

The Tuesday elections marked the first electoral contest since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, amid significant shifts in the political landscape and the issues shaping voter priorities since the 2022 elections.

At least 46 people were reportedly killed after two high-speed trains collided in Spain’s Toledo province on Wednesday. The accident involved a Renfe AVE service and a private Iryo train, local media reported fearing that the number of casualties might rise further.

Emergency services were called to the spot at 8:54 am (local time) after the violent impact near the train station in Urda. The Castilla-La Mancha 112 emergency service said that fire crews from Alcazar de San Juan and Orgaz, Civil Protection units from surrounding municipalities, and three medical helicopters have been deployed at the site of the incident to find survivors and provide assistance to victims. According to the local authorities, there have been at least 39 fatalities, Spain-based ‘Sur in English’ reported.

The trains involved in the collision were carrying 544 passengers, according to data provided by the spokesperson for the Government of Castilla-La Mancha, Esther Padilla. The Iryo train was carrying 146 passengers and a baby on board, while the Renfe train was carrying 397 passengers, Spain-based ‘El Pais’ reported.

The spokesperson for the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha said that the cause of the train collision is not known yet. The Ministry of Transport spokesperson said that, according to initial indications, the AVE train may have rear-ended the Iryo train, causing two of the latter’s carriages to derail and fall down on the embankment, according to the report.

Following the accident, the railway movement on the high-speed corridor between Madrid and Andalusia has been completely suspended since 8:54 am (local time) on Wednesday. The accident has affected medium-distance high-speed services.

In a statement shared on X, Iryo said that all services originating from Atocha and destined for the southern corridor have been suspended due to the accident. There is no estimate of when the train services will resume, ‘El Pais’ reported.

Iryo stated that it has activated “all emergency protocols” and has been “collaborating closely” with the authorities to manage the situation. Renfe has said that railway service has been suspended between Madrid, Ciudad Real, and Andalusia.

Israel’s election results showed incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud bloc leading by Wednesday morning, with 41.9 per cent of ballot boxes counted, local media reported.

The partial results released by Central Elections Committee gave Netanyahu’s bloc 57 seats to 47 for the anti-Netanyahu camp. The predominantly Arab Joint List and Ra’am factions together held the remaining 16 seats, The Times of Israel reported.

Following exit polls released by Israeli media outlets Channels 11, 12 and 13 on Tuesday night, no clear winner emerged in Israel’s election, with neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition seeking to replace him projected to secure the 61 seats required for a majority in the Knesset, the country’s parliament

However, by Wednesday morning, some polls indicated Netanyahu’s bloc with a clear lead.

An updated exit poll released overnight showed Netanyahu’s bloc drawing level with or gaining an edge over the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces.

Responding to the projections, Netanyahu asserted that the right wing commanded a “great majority” among Israel’s “Zionist public” and called for the formation of a “strong right-wing government”.

Addressing supporters at the Likud election headquarters in Jerusalem after the polls, Netanyahu criticised media outlets that had forecast a poor performance by his Likud party in the elections.

“Do you remember how the propaganda channels engineered public consciousness? Likud on 18 seats, 19 seats. They knew the whole time that it was a lie. They were trying to demoralise you from coming to the ballot box. That is what went on here. Well, the first thing that has become clear, unequivocally, is that Likud is the biggest party in Israel. There is no disputing it,” Times of Israel quoted Netanyahu as saying.

“And the second thing that has become clear… is that the right-wing bloc has a clear, decisive majority among the Zionist public, among the Jewish public and all those who support the Jewish state. That is what has become clear. A decisive majority. And therefore I said, and I say again, that we must form a strong, national, right-wing government. That is what must be done,” he added.

He also criticised parties willing to cooperate with Arab parties, calling such an arrangement a “shame”.

Questioning how parties could discuss “the covenant of those who serve” while cooperating with parties that attack Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers, Netanyahu said it was unthinkable “to endanger Israel and set up a government that relies upon anti-Zionist Arab parties”.

He further described them as parties that oppose Israel’s very existence, that regard “Hamas as a charitable organization”, that call Israeli soldiers “war criminals.”

Highlighting Israel’s achievements in the conflicts that followed the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, Netanyahu claimed that Iran had been significantly weakened while Israel had emerged stronger.

The Tuesday elections marked the first electoral contest since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, amid significant shifts in the political landscape and the issues shaping voter priorities since the 2022 elections.