Join our Community
Support ToI and remove all ads
Learn more
×

Gadi Eisenkot

Former IDF soldier Elor Azaria, who was convicted of manslaughter for shooting dead an incapacitated Palestinian assailant in the West Bank city of Hebron, appears before a parole board in the army's Tel Aviv headquarters on March 14, 2018. (Flash90)
Military notes Azaria has never expressed remorse
Katz seeks pardon for soldier who killed subdued Palestinian stabber; IDF opposed
By Emanuel Fabian
Defense minister's move aims to shorten time before Elor Azaria's record is automatically expunged; incident exposed deep rifts in Israeli society over IDF activities in West Bank
L: Yashar party chair Gadi Eisenkot, on November 1, 2025. (Moshe Shai/Flash90) R: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the Jewish News Syndicate conference in Jerusalem, on June 21, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Poll shows Eisenkot with significant lead over Netanyahu as preferred PM; Knesset blocs static
By ToI Staff
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks to troops of the Kfir Brigade's Netzah Yehuda Battalion, a largely Orthodox unit, in the Gaza Strip, March 6, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
July 13, 2026, 8:57 pm
IDF chief denounces ‘inconceivable’ bill that will freeze most ultra-Orthodox enlistment
In letter to Netanyahu, Defense Minister Katz, and Knesset defense committee, Zamir calls legislation ‘unequivocally inconsistent’ with IDF’s manpower needs, laments move to have army officers oversee exemptions
By Emanuel Fabian and Jeremy Sharon
Minister of Heritage Amichay Eliyahu attends a unity conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem, June 22, 2026 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
July 12, 2026, 4:04 pm
Otzma Yehudit minister suggests far-right party may woo Shas voters
Comments by Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu follow Haredi party’s refusal to pledge support for another Netanyahu-led coalition until draft exemption law is passed
By ToI Staff
Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, during a weekly teaching at the Yazdim synagogue in Jerusalem, on June 7, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)
July 12, 2026, 1:37 am
Top Shas rabbi signals openness to working with Eisenkot rather than Netanyahu after election
PM won’t ever ‘repent,’ but his challenger still may, says Yitzhak Yosef, reflecting party’s shifting alliances as it fumes over coalition’s failure to deliver a law on IDF exemptions for Haredi men
By ToI Staff
Left: Shin Bet chief David Zini visits Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem on Memorial Day, April 21, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90); Right: Pundit Jacob Bardugo appears on the All-In podcast, on YouTube, November 18, 2025. (Screenshot)
July 11, 2026, 1:17 am
Shin Bet chief wants to probe Channel 12 over Iran war tip-off, but denies caving to right-wing pressure
Security agency confirms David Zini met with pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 pundit Bardugo, who lobbied for investigation of rival network; Channel 14 is itself alleged to have repeatedly broadcast classified info
By ToI Staff and Nava Freiberg
Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot speaks at the launch of his party's election campaign in Hod Hasharon, June 30, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
July 6, 2026, 12:58 pm
Gruff and unpolished, Gadi Eisenkot is becoming the face of the anti-Netanyahu movement
The plainspoken ex-IDF head embodies a shift from the PM’s slick style, which has come to define Israeli politics. But after surging in the polls, he now faces a brutal campaign as Netanyahu’s chief foe
By Ben Sales
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Muni Expo 2026 conference in Tel Aviv, on June 24, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
July 1, 2026, 11:41 pm
Netanyahu claims he saved Israel from destruction as Iran ‘already obtained’ atomic bomb; rivals say he’s lying
Source says PM’s assertion, made to right-wing Channel 14, is unfounded; election opponents Eisenkot, Bennett pillory PM for fear-mongering, peddling falsehoods
By ToI Staff
Gadi Eisenkot (right) greets supporters at the launch of his Yashar party’s election campaign, in Hod Hasharon, central Israel, June 30, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
July 1, 2026, 3:40 pm
Gadi Eisenkot launches a centrist campaign tailored for the commuters of Route 4
Running under the heavy shadow of wartime grief, the former IDF chief aims to capture Israel’s middle class while keeping a fractured opposition bloc from collapsing
By Tal Schneider
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu interviewed on the Channel 14 program "The Patriots" on June 30, 2026. (Screen capture)
July 1, 2026, 4:09 am
Asked how Hamas’s October 7 invasion and massacre changed him, Netanyahu jokes that he ‘lost a little weight’
Quip sparks outcry from political rivals; PM quickly moved on to a serious response, saying Hamas invasion also led him to see need for buffer zones beyond Israel’s borders and importance of a broad mobilization of reservists
By Nava Freiberg and ToI Staff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu interviewed on the Channel 14 program "The Patriots" on June 30, 2026. (Screen capture)
July 1, 2026, 3:31 am
Netanyahu: The pursuit of ‘total victory’ against Iran and its proxies ‘never ends’
In first Hebrew media interview of election campaign, PM says full unity not possible but that he seeks to form broad gov’t after election that will include far-right, Haredi parties and continue judicial overhaul
By Nava Freiberg and ToI Staff
Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot speaks during the launch of his Yashar party’s election campaign in Hod Hasharon, central Israel, June 30, 2026. The Hebrew slogan reads: Israel Must Win! (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
June 30, 2026, 11:41 pm
Eisenkot launches election campaign, vows to unify after ‘chaos’ wrought by current government
Netanyahu’s likely main rival, whose background starkly contrasts with PM’s, pledges to form Oct. 7 state inquiry, broaden IDF ranks, cap reserve service, and be a PM ‘for all Israeli citizens’
By Michael Bachner, Agencies and ToI Staff
Yashar party chief Gadi Eisenkot attends a press conference in Tel Aviv on May 5, 2026. (Flash90)
June 30, 2026, 4:49 pm
Eisenkot accuses Bennett and Lapid of weakening Zionist opposition with merger
Yashar party chief says ‘Together’ heads turned down his earlier offer of three-way ‘super-party,’ reportedly rejects Smotrich as coalition partner, which Bennett has not
By ToI Staff
L: Yashar party chair Gadi Eisenkot, on November 1, 2025. (Moshe Shai/Flash90) R: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the Jewish News Syndicate conference in Jerusalem, on June 21, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
June 28, 2026, 12:26 am
Netanyahu slams key election rival Eisenkot as too cautious, claims to seek ‘broad national government’
PM says ex-IDF chief, former war cabinet member had opposed ops in Gaza, Lebanon, would have left ‘all of Hamas’ intact; Eisenkot: Netanyahu ‘blindly’ led us to ‘historic low,’ lies, evades responsibility
By Nava Freiberg and ToI Staff
Chairman of the Yahad party former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, left with former prime minister Yair Lapid during a press conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem, May 20, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
June 25, 2026, 1:41 am
Polls show support for Bennett-Lapid alliance slipping as Eisenkot’s party climbs
Together predicted to win at least 15 seats while rival Yashar polls at 20-22 seats, behind ruling Likud; surveys show various potential mergers wouldn’t tip scales for either bloc
By ToI Staff
Chairman of the “Together” party and former prime minister Naftali Bennett speaks during a press conference in Tel Aviv, June 15, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
June 23, 2026, 12:17 pm
Bennett calls to dismantle illegal settlement outposts, draws right-wing leaders’ ire
Head of Together party stresses he’s ‘in favor of legal settlement in Area C,’ but not on Palestinians’ private land or areas A and B, which are to be part of ‘Palestinian autonomy’
By ToI Staff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White chief Benny Gantz greet each other at a special plenum session presenting the new emergency government at the assembly hall of the Knesset in Jerusalem on October 12, 2023. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)
June 22, 2026, 5:20 pm
Netanyahu is using a desperate Benny Gantz to do his political dirty work
Whether Gantz crosses the election threshold or not, his frantic campaigning and attacks on former political allies are serving the prime minister’s agenda perfectly
By Shalom Yerushalmi
Load More
Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community
Paying ToI Community members are invited to comment on articles
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Or Continue with
By joining you agree to the terms and conditions
Register to continue
Or Continue with
Log in to continue
Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community
Only ToI Community members can comment below articles
Forgot your password? / Send me a login link
Or Continue with
check your email
Check your email
We sent an email to you at .
It has a link that will sign you in.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.
Back to top
Never miss breaking news on Israel
Get notifications to stay updated
You're subscribed
image
Register for free
and continue reading
Registering allows you to manage your newsletters and alerts and helps us improve your experience. It takes just a few seconds.
Already registered? Enter your email to sign in.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Or Continue with
By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. Once registered, you’ll receive our Daily Edition email for free.
Register to continue
Or Continue with
Log in to continue
Sign in or Register
I forgot my password / Send me a sign in link
Or Continue with
check your email
Check your email
We sent an email to you at .
It has a link that will sign you in.