JERUSALEM: The camp of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was ahead of his rival's opposition bloc but still short of a majority on Wednesday after 50 percent of votes were counted in Israel's pivotal general election.

Voters turned out in the highest numbers in decades to give their verdict on Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister who has pushed the country sharply to the right and unleashed a wave of wars in response to Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack.

Following the vote, both Netanyahu and his rival Gadi Eisenkot vowed to form a government despite neither being projected to win a majority.

After 51.8 percent of ballots were counted, Netanyahu's bloc was shown to have 55 of the 120 seats in the parliament.

Eisenkot's opposition bloc had 49 seats and the Arab parties 16. The partial results are likely to change as more votes are counted.

Exit polls had shown that Eisenkot, a former military chief and political novice, and his opposition bloc were neck-and-neck with Netanyahu's hard-right camp, with both winning about 51 seats, well away from the threshold for a majority in parliament.

The strongest gains came from Arab Israeli parties whose voters turned out in soaring numbers against Netanyahu, who has relentlessly warned that the minority would dilute the Jewish nationalist direction in which he has taken Israel.

The partial results suggest that Eisenkot's bloc would have enough seats for a majority if there was a coalition agreement with the Arab parties.

But Eisenkot said during the campaign he would not govern with Israeli Arab lawmakers, echoing the position of Netanyahu, who has suggested a government relying on Arab votes would lack legitimacy.

Arab lawmakers could also give Eisenkot support in parliamentary votes to maintain a minority government without joining a coalition.

A lack of clear majority for either camp could mean weeks spent trying to cobble together coalitions, with possible new elections on the horizon if negotiations fail.

A stalemate could in the immediate term benefit Netanyahu, who would remain caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed.

Full results are expected by Thursday evening or Friday morning.

Netanyahu, greeting cheering supporters at a Jerusalem convention centre after 3 am (0100 GMT) on Wednesday morning, called for a "strong government of the right" and said the "Jewish and Zionist majority must unite".

The 77-year-old prime minister, who has governed Israel on and off for nearly two decades, was unusually brief and did not directly claim victory.

US President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that his endorsement of Netanyahu had helped the premier "a lot".

Security fight sharpens

Netanyahu highlighted Israel's military successes and raised the prospect of renewed joint action with Trump against Iran as he addressed party faithful after 3 a.m. (0100 GMT) at Likud election headquarters in Jerusalem.

"Israel faces a singular historical opportunity, together with our partner President Trump, to remove the existential threat of Iran once and for all. But ulterior motives must not divert us from this sacred mission," he said.

Eisenkot earlier warned Netanyahu not to use Israel's security for political purposes.

“Netanyahu is a caretaker prime minister, without a mandate or the people's trust,” Eisenkot said, calling on the security establishment to “stand firm” against any attempt to put political interests ahead of Israel's security.

Voter turnout was 77.7%, Israel's Central Elections Committee said, the highest in more than two decades and around 7 percentage points higher than in 2022.