Israel's opposition bloc has won the country's parliamentary election, according to De Telegraaf, even though the party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finished as the largest single faction. The Dutch newspaper reported the outcome on Tuesday, 27 October 2026.
The result follows a vote that early exit polls could not clearly settle. NOS reported that the exit polls produced no obvious winner, while VRT said the bloc led by Eisenkot was the largest grouping in the first exit polls, with the parties around Netanyahu close behind.
De Telegraaf's headline indicates that the opposition bloc has since been assessed as the winner overall, with Netanyahu's party nonetheless taking the most seats of any single list.
Other Dutch outlets reported tensions around the vote. The Reformatorisch Dagblad reported fears of confrontation after the exit polls and said Netanyahu was concerned about the high national turnout. NU reported that the election commission turned down a request to extend voting hours.
The reports do not give seat totals or specify which parties make up the winning bloc, and no coalition arrangements have been described in the material available.
What to watch next: the official results and the early talks over which parties will form the next government.
