Gadi Eisenkot, Israel's former military chief and leader of the newly formed Yashar party, is currently leading in polls ahead of the October elections. International media outlets have extensively covered Eisenkot, with publications such as the Times of London, Daily Telegraph, New Yorker, and Economist featuring him.
Eisenkot was part of Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet between October 2023 and June 2024. During this period, Israeli airstrikes reportedly killed over 30,000 Palestinians. He resigned from the cabinet in 2024, citing strategic failures rather than the death toll.
As Israel's chief of staff during the "Great March of Return" in 2018 and 2019, Eisenkot oversaw the response to Palestinian demonstrations, during which Israeli soldiers reportedly killed over 200 Palestinians. A UN commission of inquiry concluded that demonstrators were shot in violation of their right to life.
Eisenkot has stated his opposition to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, and supports Israeli settlements in what he refers to as Judea and Samaria. He also became associated with the "Dahiya Doctrine" as head of Israel's Northern Command, a military strategy involving widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure.