Gadi Eisenkot, retired general who lost son in Gaza, challenges Netanyahu in Israeli elections

Gadi Eisenkot, a retired Israeli general who lost his son in Gaza, is challenging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel's October 27 elections, posing the greatest political threat to the incumbent's hold on power. Polls suggest Netanyahu's coalition may fail to secure a majority. Eisenkot, 66, formed the centrist Yashar party after leaving the National Unity party, driven by his son Gal's death in December 2023 and criticism of Netanyahu's handling of the October 7 Hamas attacks. He advocates for a state inquiry into the attacks and opposes military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews. A former army chief of staff from 2015 to 2019, Eisenkot supports excluding Hamas from Gaza's future and rejects a two-state solution. While his party is unlikely to win an outright majority, his military background appeals to voters, though Netanyahu's coalition-building skills remain formidable.