Jerusalem:Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is trailing behind rival Gadi Eisenkot's bloc in three out of four parliamentary election exit polls conducted on Tuesday, with no bloc securing a projected majority.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, projections from Channels 12 and 13 and Israel's public broadcaster place Eisenkot's bloc ahead of Netanyahu's. Channel 14, however, projected a lead for Netanyahu's bloc. Specifically, a Channel 13 exit poll forecasts 53 seats for Eisenkot's bloc, 50 for Netanyahu's, and 17 for Arab parties in the 120-seat Knesset. Israel's public broadcaster mirrored these projections, while Channel 12 projected 52 seats for Eisenkot's bloc, 50 for Netanyahu's bloc, and 18 for Arab parties. Meanwhile, Channel 14 projected 60 seats for Netanyahu's bloc, 43 for Eisenkot's bloc, and 17 for Arab parties.

None of the projections provide either bloc with the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority. Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar party and a rival to Netanyahu, cited the initial results as indicative of a 'complete lack of trust in Netanyahu.' Eisenkot declared that if these results hold, it would signify a victory for the Zionist-statist majority in Israel, and he committed to swiftly replacing Netanyahu's government to establish a 'Zionist mobilization government.'

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid also interpreted the results as a 'severe defeat' for Netanyahu's bloc, describing it as a 'complete collapse.' Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party, stated that the public has effectively 'fired Netanyahu's government' and emphasized the historic opportunity to form a change government.

Channel 12 reported that Israeli President Isaac Herzog is expected to task Eisenkot with forming the next government, contingent on the official results and recommendations from parliamentary parties. The Central Elections Committee announced a voter turnout of 77.7%, the highest since 1999, with 5,449,277 ballots cast out of 7,331,981 eligible voters. The exit poll projections are not official election results, as vote counting began following the closure of polling stations at 10 pm local time (2000 GMT).