Gadi Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff, says the government “is not worthy” of his son Gal, who was killed in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
Eisenkot adds in an interview with the Kan public broadcaster that the government is also unworthy of other soldiers and hostages who have lost their lives in the nearly two-year war.
His son was one of the soldiers who “paid with his life to bring back the fallen,” Eisenkot says in the interview. “And this government is a government that is running away from its responsibility and is not worthy of Gal… and is not worthy of many other combat soldiers and unfortunately also hostages who lost their lives because of cowardice, because of political indecision, because of the political and ideological considerations of people who want to resettle the Gaza Strip.”
Eisenkot’s son was killed while serving in the IDF in Gaza in December 2023, while Eisenkot was a member of a since-dissolved emergency war cabinet formed in the wake of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre and launch of the Gaza war.
Eisenkot has since become an outspoken critic of the government’s approach to the war.
In the interview, he says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition doesn’t “understand their responsibility” and does not heed public opinion, which, surveys show, supports a deal to end the war and bring the hostages back.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this