Benjamin Netanyahu looked set to remain Israel’s caretaker prime minister after unexpectedly strong backing among Jewish voters left his opponents little apparent prospect of unseating him, despite his right-wing bloc losing its parliamentary majority.

With nearly 86 per cent of votes tallied on Wednesday, Israel’s media, citing the Central Elections Committee (CEC), projected Netanyahu’s bloc of right-wing, far-right, and ultra-Orthodox parties would win 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, well ahead of the 48 for rival Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition bloc.