Gadi Eisenkot

Gadi Eisenkot, also spelled Eizenkot, is an Israeli general, politician, and leader of the Yashar party. He served from 2015 to 2019 as the 21st chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and from 2023 to 2024 as a minister without portfolio in Israel's unity government. He led Yashar in the 2026 Israeli legislative election as the main challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Eisenkot, who grew up in Eilat, pursued maritime studies and later served in the IDF's Golani Brigade. He holds a B.A. in history from Tel Aviv University and a post-graduate degree in political science from Haifa University. Married with five children, he resides in Herzliya. One of his sons, Gal, was killed in action during the Gaza war.