Eisenkot is the son of Moroccan immigrants. He was born on May 19, 1960, in Tiberias, Israel, then grew up in Eliat. His father worked in the nearby Timna copper mines, while his mother stayed at home to raise their five children. Eisenkot followed a military career: in 1978 he joined the Israeli army, then rose through the ranks to become head of the Armed Forces between 2015 and 2019.
After the Hamas attacks against Israel on 7 October 2023 he joined the War Council, but left after a few months, disagreeing with Prime Minister Netanyahu especially over how the hostage crisis was managed.
In recent years the former general has been very critical of Netanyahu. In particular, in 2024, his interview on Channel 12's investigative program Uvda created a stir in which he accused the current prime minister of being totally and personally responsible for the military defeat of 7 October. Furthermore, on this point several times, Eisenkot, together with other prominent Israeli figures, has called for the establishment of a commission of inquiry to ascertain responsibility for the incident.
The one in Uvda is one of Eisenkot's few interviews. His is in fact a more shy figure than other Israeli political leaders, and he often does not make public comments. Despite this, his popularity gradually grew, so much so that he became the main candidate of the anti-Netanyahu opposition.
In the elections of October 27, Netanyahu's bloc obtained 53 seats, while Eisenkot's bloc stopped at 48 seats. The Arab parties obtained 19 seats (their best result ever). As widely anticipated, no party has the 61-seat majority needed to govern. And building alliances is very complicated. After consultations with party representatives to understand whether it is possible to form an executive, President Isaac Herzog decided to give Eisenkot the task of forming a new government on 8 November.
Even though Eisenkot criticized Netanyahu a lot, he never questioned the war in Gaza. Indeed, his criticisms mainly concern what happened before 7 October and what led to that massacre. According to him, none of those who held government roles in those days should ever hold public office again, including Netanyahu.
''Within 18 months of my taking office as prime minister, Hamas will no longer control the Gaza Strip,'' he promised in a statement from the Gaza Strip border in the days before the vote. ''We will bring about the destruction of the military wing of Hamas, either through President Trump's plan, which the Netanyahu government has accepted, or through the use of military capabilities,'' he added, further stating that, ''as long as Netanyahu is in power, Hamas will also remain in power. Never has a government in Israel suffered such a sensational strategic failure: three years after the October 7 massacre, Hamas is still the sovereign in the Gaza Strip, armed, and committed to restoring its war capabilities''.
Eisenkot then aims to make military service compulsory also for ultra-Orthodox Jews, who instead enjoy an exemption linked to their religious studies.
While on the Palestinian question, during the election campaign he declared: "I have never said that the solution is that of two states for two peoples. Here there is a very profound religious-national conflict; anyone who thinks that an agreement can be reached at this moment is greatly mistaken".
On the broader issue of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, however, what distinguishes Eisenkot from the current government is his critical position on the decision to entrust the management of the occupied territories to the far-right minister and settlement supporter Bezalel Smotrich. Eisenkot said he would "reverse" that situation immediately, returning the army to command in the West Bank.
