Israel election results: Netanyahu bloc holds lead with double envelopes to be counted overnight

Israel's election results show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc leading with a projected 53 seats in the next Knesset, while the opposition bloc is expected to secure 48 seats, according to the Central Elections Committee report. Over five million votes have been counted, and both blocs are short of the 61 seats needed for a majority without Arab parties' support.

The official vote count reached about 88% on Wednesday evening, excluding double-envelope ballots slated for counting overnight. These ballots, which include eligible Israelis such as soldiers, hospital patients, prisoners, and certain election workers, could impact final results. Netanyahu's Likud Party is expected to have 26 seats, followed by United Torah Judaism, Shas, and Otzma Yehudit with seven seats each, and the Religious Zionist Party with six seats.

The opposition bloc, comprising Yashar, B Yachad, Yisrael Beytenu, and The Democrats, is projected to have 48 seats, with Yashar led by Gadi Eisenkot expected to have 21 seats, B Yachad led by Naftali Bennett to have 12 seats, Yair Golan's The Democrats to have eight seats, and Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beytenu to have seven seats.

Most TV channel polling before the election projected Likud receiving fewer seats, while opposition parties were considered likely to gain more.