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Israel's election result is messy - here's why

BBC News •
October 28, 2026 • 02:26 PM
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Despite having the highest voter turnout in nearly three decades, Israel's elections have had no clear winner. What does this mean for the country, asks the BBC's Yolande Knell.

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A dramatic deadlock had been widely forecast as Israelis surged to the polls – with turnout reaching more than 77%.

Despite the historic number of voters, no clear winner has emerged. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calling for a "strong" right-wing government and his Likud is set to be the biggest party in the Knesset, Israel's parliament

However, Netanyahu's main rival, the former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, has insisted Israel voted to end Netanyahu's term.

But with neither party securing a clear majority, what does this mean for the future of Israel?

The BBC's Yolande Knell reports from Jerusalem.

Dozens of people had been inside the church for a funeral when the shooting began, local media report.

Orla Guerin travelled through Yemen, with forces loyal to its internationally recognised government, to a remote desert battlefield where Houthi rebels were dislodged just days ago.

Security correspondent Frank Gardner explains how the Iran-backed Houthis' precision strikes and guerrilla tactics have made it difficult for Saudi forces to gain the upper hand.

Witnesses say Raseel's tent was hit by an Israeli helicopter strike. Israel’s military says it has no record of the attack.

BBC Verify explains how we found the wreckage location of a Saudi F-15 fighter jet which the Iran-backed Houthi group says it shot down over Yemen.

BBC's Middle East Correspondent Lucy Williamson visits the Palestinian community of Khan al Ahmar in the so-called E1 area, and the neighbouring Israeli settlement of Maale Admumim.

BBC's Middle East correspondent Lucy Williamson reports from an area close to Israel's proposed site in the occupied West Bank.

Six people, including three pupils at the Palestinian school, have been killed in al-Mughayyir this year, in a surge of Israeli settler-related violence.

Omar al-Bayoumi has always denied being an extremist and a Saudi spy.

Palestinian teenagers Omar al-Naasan and Khalil Abu Alia were shot dead when Israeli settlers and soldiers entered a village in the occupied West Bank.

The BBC's Hugo Bachega joined a UN humanitarian convoy as it travelled along Israeli-occupied southern Lebanon.

The BBC's Lucy Williamson reports on settler attacks on Palestinians, which have been observed over the last week alone.

Washington announced what it described as an "economic D-Day" against Iran, widening current sanctions and targetting countries with business ties with the regime.

After the homeowners made their initial report to the Israeli army, the first soldiers who arrived at the scene were filmed praying with the settlers.

Republican Senator Lindsay Graham's funeral is bringing the two world leaders to town, where they'll separately visit the White House to discuss their region's wars.

Israeli settlers set fire to two mosques, as well as cars and agricultural land in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials say.

Mojtaba Khamenei hasn’t been seen in public since March - but AI-generated images of him continue to spread online.

The BBC's chief international correspondent looks at how Iran's new leadership will respond to several issues affecting the country.

The US has launched the strikes on Iran in response to attacks on three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

Huge crowds have lined the streets of Tehran for the funeral procession of Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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