Credit : BRICS News's X
Former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot has vowed to move immediately to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and form a new “Zionist government” after exit polls from Israel’s October 27 general election showed neither camp winning an outright majority, BRICS News reported on October 28, 2026.
“Gadi Eisenkot says he will immediately replace Netanyahu’s government and form a new ‘Zionist government’ if elected Prime Minister,” BRICS News said in a post on X. In earlier posts, the outlet reported that Mr Netanyahu’s coalition was projected to lose its parliamentary majority, while Mr Eisenkot’s bloc also fell short of 61 seats, leaving no clear winner.
Mr Eisenkot, who leads the Yashar party, said the exit polls pointed to “a complete vote of no confidence in Netanyahu and the government of October 7 by the Zionist majority and the majority of Israeli citizens”, according to Ynetnews. “If these are the final results, this is a victory for the mainstream Zionist majority in Israel,” he said. “I will act immediately to implement the people’s decision, replace Netanyahu’s government and establish a Zionist government committed to military conscription as soon as possible.”
The average of exit polls published by public broadcaster Kan 11 and Channels 12 and 13 gave Mr Eisenkot’s bloc 53 seats against 50 for Mr Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc, Ynetnews reported. Arab-led parties were projected to win a combined 17 seats. Neither main bloc reached the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-member Knesset.
Despite the opposition’s narrow lead, Mr Netanyahu’s Likud was projected to remain the largest single party with 24 to 25 seats, followed by Yashar with 21 to 23, according to The Times of Israel. Axios noted that, if the results hold, Mr Netanyahu’s coalition would have shed 14 of the 64 seats it won in the 2022 election.
The outcome sets the stage for difficult coalition talks. Axios reported that Mr Eisenkot might have to try to form a minority government supported by Arab parties, and it was unclear whether all his partners would agree. Ynetnews said Mr Eisenkot had not ruled out a minority government backed from outside by Ra’am, but Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman has rejected such an arrangement.
Other opposition figures welcomed the projections. “The public has spoken. It has fired Netanyahu’s government,” said Democrats leader Yair Golan, calling the result a “historic opportunity”. Likud’s Gideon Sa’ar warned that the left was celebrating too soon, Ynetnews reported.
Mr Eisenkot served as Israel’s 21st chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces and entered politics in 2022 with Benny Gantz’s National Unity alliance. After the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, he joined Mr Netanyahu’s emergency wartime government as a minister without portfolio. His son Gal was killed in combat in Gaza in December 2023. He left National Unity in June 2025 and founded Yashar two months later.
The vote drew Israel’s highest turnout in decades, with polling stations crowded throughout the day. Exit polls are only an indication, and official results may take days. The Associated Press said the outcome was likely to set off weeks of political manoeuvring before a prime minister is chosen.
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