Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc was projected to win 53 parliamentary seats Wednesday after all regular ballots were counted, with more than 500,000 special ballots still pending, Channel 12 reported.
The opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot was projected to secure 48 seats, while predominantly Arab parties were expected to win 19 seats, according to the broadcaster.
Neither main bloc was projected to reach the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority in the 120-member Knesset.
Voter turnout reached 77.7%, the highest since 1999, Channel 12 reported.
However, more than 500,000 special double-envelope ballots remained to be counted, potentially affecting the final distribution of parliamentary seats.
Double-envelope ballots are used by voters casting their votes away from their registered polling stations, including soldiers, diplomats, police officers and displaced residents.
Under the system, voters place their ballots in an envelope, which is then placed inside a second envelope containing their identification details to prevent duplicate voting.
Elad Naveh, director of the Central Elections Committee's control center, said the counting of double-envelope ballots was expected to begin Wednesday evening and finish Thursday evening.
He said the process could continue until Friday.
The projected results could change once election officials complete the counting of the remaining ballots.
More than 7.3 million Israelis were eligible to vote in Tuesday's election, the first since Israel launched its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.
