Eisenkot Emerges as Netanyahu’s Rival With a Focus on Responsibility

WHO:

CNN - Gadi Eisenkot, 66, is Benjamin Netanyahu’s main opposition challenger. He is the son of Moroccan immigrants, grew up in Tiberias and Eilat, is the second of nine children, and is a father of five.

Newser - Eisenkot is described as a former military chief whose son and two nephews were killed in Gaza. He says an inquiry into the October 7 attack should scrutinize his own record as well.

CNN - Netanyahu is the leader of Likud. TV host Yinon Magal, described as widely considered a Netanyahu mouthpiece, called Eisenkot a “monkey” of “a Mizrahi-Moroccan” heritage managed by “Ashkenazi elites.” Netanyahu condemned the remarks; Magal later said he meant an underworld term for a frontman.

CNN - Eisenkot served alongside former chief of staff Benny Gantz in Netanyahu’s emergency war cabinet. His son Gal, 25, and two nephews died in combat.

CNN - US President Trump endorsed Netanyahu as a “great warrior prime minister” and warned that anyone else would be the “wrong leader.” Trump told political analyst Barak Ravid: “Maybe I will, maybe I won’t, who wants to take the chance?”

Newser - Other leaders in the election include former prime minister Naftali Bennett.

WHAT:

CNN - Eisenkot’s Yashar party is projected by most recent polls to win 20 to 23 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, more than Likud; Eisenkot also leads Netanyahu in polling on suitability for prime minister.

Newser - A Maariv poll cited by The Jerusalem Post put Eisenkot ahead of Netanyahu, 49% to 41%, in a head-to-head contest.

CNN - Eisenkot promises a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 failures, mandatory military conscription or national service for all citizens, and an end to Hamas rule in Gaza within 18 months.

Newser - Eisenkot’s proposals include term limits, drafting ultra-Orthodox people, enforcing core education standards, curbing settler violence, halting West Bank annexation, and a return to “normalcy.” He has not promised a Palestinian state soon.

CNN - Eisenkot broadly supported Israeli operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, but criticized the lack of strategy in the latest conflict and said military gains need diplomacy. He has rejected the two-state solution, opposed formal annexation and illegal outposts, and called the planned E1 construction a “mistake.”

CNN - Eisenkot wrote: “Over Gal’s grave, I swore that the price he paid, he and his friends, those he knew and those he didn’t, would not be in vain.”

WHERE:

CNN - Eisenkot grew up in Tiberias and Eilat; his son and nephews were killed fighting in Gaza. In 2016, Sgt. Elor Azaria shot and killed a wounded Palestinian attacker in Hebron.

CNN - Eisenkot served in the Israel Defense Forces, including as chief of staff, and joined Netanyahu’s emergency war cabinet after the Hamas-led attack on Israel.

WHY:

CNN - Eisenkot and Gantz left the war cabinet because, they said, there was no clear postwar strategy. Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of prolonging the Gaza war and endangering hostages for political reasons.

Newser - Eisenkot says he is running to “save Israel” and accuses Netanyahu of dragging the country into endless conflicts, eroding democratic norms, and refusing responsibility for failures leading to the October 7 attack.

CNN - Eisenkot says continued West Bank control risks a binational state, which he called “the end of the Zionist vision.”

HOW:

CNN - Eisenkot enlisted in the Golani Brigade in 1978 and served a 40-year IDF career, becoming chief of staff from 2015 to 2019. In the Azaria case, he backed a military investigation and trial, citing army discipline and ethics.

CNN - Israel’s president assigns government-formation authority to the lawmaker most likely to assemble a coalition, not automatically to the party leader. Polls suggested neither major bloc was on course for the 61 seats needed for a majority; Eisenkot said he would try to form a government without 61, potentially with Arab-party support from outside.

CNN - Eisenkot and opposition leaders sought to persuade the White House to stay out of the election through intermediaries including Republican megadonor Miriam Adelson.

(UPDATED October 24, 2026 07:11 UTC)

Gadi Eisenkot is emerging as Benjamin Netanyahu’s leading challenger, with polls giving his Yashar party more seats than Likud and showing Eisenkot ahead in a head-to-head contest. The former Israeli military chief says he is running to “save Israel,” accusing Netanyahu of prolonging the Gaza war and evading responsibility for failures surrounding the October 7 attack. Eisenkot’s son and two nephews were killed fighting in Gaza; he says their sacrifice must not be in vain. He promises an inquiry into the attack, mandatory military or national service, and an end to Hamas rule in Gaza within 18 months. He has also criticized the lack of a clear postwar strategy, while backing Israeli military operations. President Trump endorsed Netanyahu and warned that another leader would be the wrong choice.