Gadi Eisenkot

Gadi Eisenkot was born in 1960 in Tiberias

Eisenkot was born in Tiberias in 1960 to Meir and Esther Eisenkot, immigrants from Morocco. When he was a year old, the family moved to Eilat, where his father worked at the Timna copper mines. He studied maritime subjects at Goldwater High School.

He holds a B.A. in history from Tel Aviv University and an M.A. in political science from the University of Haifa. In 1997 he completed a master's degree at the United States Army War College.

He joined the Golani Brigade in 1978 and rose to command it in 1997. He was military secretary to prime ministers Ehud Barak and Ariel Sharon, then commanded divisions, the Operations Directorate and Northern Command. He became deputy chief of staff in 2013 and chief of staff in 2015.

As chief of staff he refocused the army on ground forces and approved the multiyear Gideon plan in 2016, which included a cyber command. Under him, the IDF carried out many strikes on Iranian targets in Syria.

He entered politics with the National Unity Party and served as a minister without portfolio from 2023 to 2024. In 2025 he founded Yashar. He is married with 5 children, and his son Gal was killed in the Gaza war.