Yair Lapid declared Netanyahu's Likud bloc a crushing defeat after exit polls in Israel on Tuesday night showed the opposition bloc would secure 52 seats.
The polls also placed Likud as the largest single party with 24 seats, but the opposition still fell short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120‑seat Knesset.
Arab voters turned out in record numbers, and Channel 11, 12 and 13 pollsters projected that Raam and the Joint List together would capture 17 seats.
Gadi Eisenkot of the Yashar party said the exit polls signaled a complete lack of confidence in Netanyahu, while Yair Golan called the public's vote a firing of the October 7 government.
The final tally is expected within 48 hours, but the official announcement may not come until Thursday, and coalition talks could take weeks to form a new government after the last election, which followed the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked a three‑year war leaving Gaza devastated.