Eisenkot's candidates wait for talking points as election doubts grow
Inside Yashar's headquarters, cheers for an exit-poll lead give way to concern about another election.
IsraelWhy this story? One of כאן | חדשות - תאגיד השידור הישראלי's most watched videos since yesterday, with 61,691 views.
כאן | חדשות - תאגיד השידור הישראלי: The news division of Kan, Israel's public broadcaster. 806K subscribers and 1.8B views.
"ציפינו לתוצאה משמעותית יותר": האופוריה במטה איזנקוט התחלפה בסימני שאלה
Things we can learn from the video
Press to jump
- 1:07Volunteers call voters to check that they have gone out to vote.
- 2:00Initial exit polls put Eisenkot's bloc ahead, but neither bloc has enough seats for a parliamentary majority.
- 2:55Aharoni describes candidates deferring interviews while waiting for coordinated talking points.
- 6:05Matan Kahana argues that the election result means Netanyahu cannot continue as prime minister.
- 7:22Updated exit polls narrow the gap and deepen concerns about political deadlock.
- 8:00Eisenkot pledges to change national priorities and unite the country; disappointed supporters appear afterward.
Some candidates are not ready to answer questions even as supporters celebrate around them. Reporter Oren Aharoni describes party spokespeople accompanying candidates and interviews being deferred until talking points arrive. Yoram Cohen declines to be interviewed.
That scene is part of an election-night report from Israel's Kan News, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, following Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party from early optimism to uncertainty about forming a government. Eisenkot, a former Israeli military chief, is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main challenger.
The report moves between the preparations and the celebrations. Volunteers telephone voters to check that they have cast their ballots. Event host Rafi Ginat introduces Eisenkot as the next prime minister, drawing applause. But candidate Matan Kahana has already raised the possibility of a tie and asked what the party would do then.
The initial television exit polls shown in the report put Eisenkot's bloc ahead with 53 seats to Netanyahu's bloc's 50. Supporters sing and celebrate. Neither projection, however, reaches the 61 seats needed for a majority in Israel's parliament, meaning a lead alone does not settle who can govern.
Kahana argues that voters have shown Netanyahu the door and that he cannot continue as prime minister. Candidate Tal Ohana emphasizes her camp's lead among parties she describes as Zionist. These are the candidates' political assessments, not confirmation of a governing agreement.
An updated exit poll narrows the gap, according to the report, intensifying concerns about deadlock and another election. Eisenkot nevertheless takes the stage with a pledge to change national priorities and bring the country's divided communities together.
By the end of the night, supporter Lior Elimelech expresses sadness that the projected result has fallen short of what he expected after October 7.
Former director of Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, which he led from 2011 to 2016.
More on Wikipedia ›Leader of the Yashar party and a former Israeli military chief of staff, serving from 2015 to 2019. He was also a minister without portfolio in Israel's unity government from 2023 to 2024.
More on Wikipedia ›Published on Trari
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- Channel
- כאן | חדשות - תאגיד השידור הישראלי
- Subscribers
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- Channel views, last 7 days
- 6,607,798
- Channel views, pace per day
- 837,958 (on a normal day: 1,067,858)
- Video published
- October 28, 2026
- Video views so far
- 90,192 (2 days online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 61,684 (on a normal day: 57,348)
The numbers
The headquarters report drew about 62,000 views since yesterday.
💡 Test your knowledge
Who hosts the headquarters event and introduces Eisenkot in this report?
Rafi Ginat appears onstage as the event's host and introduces Eisenkot to the crowd.