Since the attack, Netanyahu has focused on the war against Hamas, while Israeli operations against Hezbollah and Iran have also continued. He is also facing a criminal trial over corruption allegations, which he has repeatedly denied.
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister is seeking to secure power for a seventh time. However, former Israeli army chief Gadi Eisenkot has emerged as one of his most prominent electoral rivals.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Eisenkot are among the leading figures in the opposition alliance challenging Netanyahu.
Gadi Eisenkot: From Military Commander to Political Rival
Gadi Eisenkot has emerged in recent years as one of Netanyahu’s most prominent political opponents.
Eisenkot entered politics in 2022, winning a seat in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on the National Unity Party ticket. He later left the party following ideological disagreements.
Last year, he separated from the opposition ranks and established his own centrist party, Yashar, a name meaning “straight” or “upright”. Since then, he has been regarded as one of Netanyahu’s principal electoral challengers.
Eisenkot was born in 1960 in Tiberias and grew up in Eilat. His parents migrated to Israel from Morocco and belonged to the middle class.
He belongs to the Mizrahi Jewish community, whose roots lie in the Middle East and North Africa. No Mizrahi Jew has served as Israel’s prime minister to date.
Some observers believe Eisenkot could attract voters from this community, many of whom have traditionally supported Netanyahu and his Likud party.
Eisenkot joined the military at the age of 18 and served for approximately 40 years. He was chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces from 2015 to 2019.
During the Second Palestinian Intifada, he commanded Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank. His name was later associated with the “Dahiya doctrine”, which supports the extensive use of military force in areas from which attacks against Israel are alleged to originate.
Despite his criticism of Netanyahu, Eisenkot has not fundamentally opposed Israel’s military operations in Gaza following the October 7 attacks.
Netanyahu has faced mounting criticism in recent years over corruption allegations, controversial judicial reforms and his handling of the October 7, 2023, attacks. Eisenkot’s political campaign, however, is shaped not only by political disagreements but also by a personal tragedy.
In December 2023, Eisenkot’s son, Master Sergeant Gal Eisenkot, was killed during a military operation in northern Gaza. The operation was reportedly aimed at locating the remains of Israelis taken hostage by Hamas on October 7. Gal was the youngest of Eisenkot’s five children.
Eisenkot, 66, later said in an interview that he had still been unable to open the boxes containing his son’s belongings. Two of his nephews were also killed in the Gaza war.
These losses, together with his belief that Netanyahu’s government failed to prevent the October 7 attacks, strengthened his political resolve.
“I cannot turn back time, but I will do everything possible to honour the sacrifice Gal made,” Eisenkot has said.
Eisenkot’s Direct Confrontation With Netanyahu
Following the October 7 attacks, Eisenkot joined Netanyahu’s war cabinet as a gesture of national unity. However, he resigned in June 2024, accusing the government of failing to take timely and necessary steps to secure the release of hostages.
He said the authorities had not acted quickly enough to rescue women and children abducted during the attacks. Netanyahu has consistently rejected these accusations.
Netanyahu, in turn, has argued that Eisenkot opposed hard-line military operations in Gaza while serving in the war cabinet. He has claimed that Hamas would not have been weakened if Eisenkot’s proposals had been followed.
Eisenkot rejects this account and has called for records of war cabinet meetings to be made public.
He has also promised that, if elected, he would end Hamas’s rule in Gaza within 18 months.
According to Israeli journalist Nadav Eyal, the death of Eisenkot’s son gave him “a sense of purpose and mission”.
Although Eisenkot is a critic of Netanyahu, both men agree on one major issue concerning Gaza’s future: Hamas must not be allowed to continue governing the territory.
Eisenkot has not supported a two-state solution involving the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. He has described those who still consider the proposal viable as “not realistic”.
However, he supports establishing a new basis for relations with the Palestinian Authority. He says the authority should administer the lives of approximately 2.8 million Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, rather than Israel exercising direct rule over them.
Eisenkot supports the expansion of major Israeli settlement blocs but has expressed reservations about new settlement plans in the disputed E1 area near East Jerusalem.
If he wins the election, he has also promised a full investigation into the October 7 attacks, including an examination of possible failures by the government and security agencies.
In his 10-point election manifesto, Eisenkot has proposed emergency programmes to prevent highly educated Israelis from leaving the country and to attract new immigrants.
He also supports ending exemptions from military service for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and Arab citizens of Israel. According to Eisenkot, every Israeli citizen should participate in some form of military, national or civilian service.
A majority of at least 61 seats in the 120-member Knesset is required to form a government.
Coalition-building is crucial in Israel’s political system, an area in which Netanyahu has demonstrated considerable skill. He has repeatedly succeeded in forming governments despite apparently unfavourable political circumstances.
Netanyahu’s campaign has suggested that Eisenkot would need support from Arab parties to form a government. Eisenkot has ruled out including Arab parties in his government but has not completely closed the door to parliamentary cooperation with them.
Yossi Mekelberg, an Israeli international relations expert associated with Chatham House, believes an Eisenkot victory could help reduce tensions between Israel and the international community.
However, he cautions that replacing Netanyahu with another leader would not automatically guarantee an immediate or fundamental policy shift. If Eisenkot genuinely intends to take a different course, Mekelberg says, he would need to take clear and decisive action on Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the situation in Gaza.
In short, Eisenkot is increasingly being presented as the “anti-Netanyahu” figure in Israeli politics: a former general whose political outlook has been shaped by personal tragedy, military experience and demands for government accountability.
“King Bibi” Netanyahu
Despite numerous controversies and political crises that have threatened his hold on power, Netanyahu has maintained a reputation in Israel and internationally as a leader capable of surviving even the most difficult political circumstances.
After returning to office in November 2022, he began his sixth term as prime minister and led the largest right-wing coalition in Israel’s history.
His return followed a relatively brief period in opposition after 12 consecutive years as prime minister. It strengthened the belief among his supporters that “King Bibi” was politically unbeatable.
Netanyahu remains popular among a substantial section of right-wing and religious voters, who regard him as a strong leader on national security. His government has also sought to extend exemptions from military service for ultra-Orthodox Jewish students, a longstanding demand among his traditional supporters.
However, the October 7, 2023, attacks severely damaged his political credibility.
Netanyahu has acknowledged that he bears some responsibility for failing to prevent the events of that day. Nevertheless, he maintains that senior military and security officials, along with other institutions, also shared responsibility for the failure.
He has also claimed that important information and warnings were not communicated to him in time before the attack.
In subsequent years, reports have emerged suggesting that Israeli and regional sources had identified potential threats before the assault. According to a recent report published by Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the United Arab Emirates leadership had also issued a warning several days before the attack.
Netanyahu’s office completely rejected the report, describing it as “baseless”.
Israel’s military operations in Gaza following the Hamas attacks have also drawn intense international criticism. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks, while the United Nations has generally considered the figures credible.
In November 2024, Netanyahu became one of the few current or former world leaders facing arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court. The court also issued a warrant against former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, citing alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with the Gaza war. Both men have strongly rejected the allegations.
Netanyahu’s Family Background and His Brother’s Legacy
Benjamin Netanyahu was born in Tel Aviv in 1949. In 1963, his family moved to the United States when his father, Benzion Netanyahu, a prominent historian and Zionist activist, took up an academic position there.
Netanyahu returned to Israel at the age of 18 and joined the military. He served for five years in Sayeret Matkal, an elite Israeli commando unit, and rose to the rank of captain.
In 1972, he was wounded during an operation to free a Belgian aircraft hijacked by Palestinian militants. He also took part in the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.
In 1976, his elder brother, Jonathan Netanyahu, was killed while leading the famous Israeli operation to rescue hostages at Entebbe Airport in Uganda. His death deeply affected the Netanyahu family, and Jonathan came to be remembered as a national hero in Israel.
In his brother’s memory, Netanyahu established an institute for counterterrorism. In 1982, he was appointed deputy chief of mission at Israel’s embassy in Washington, marking the formal beginning of his diplomatic and political career.
His fluent English and familiarity with American society helped him become an influential spokesperson for Israel in the US media.
In 1984, he was appointed Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations, further strengthening his international profile and reputation as a rising political figure.
Netanyahu’s Rise to Power
After returning to Israel in 1988, Netanyahu entered active politics. He won a Knesset seat as a member of the right-wing Likud party and was appointed deputy foreign minister. He soon became one of the party’s leading figures and eventually took over its leadership.
In 1996, Netanyahu won the early election held following the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and became prime minister for the first time.
At the time, he was Israel’s youngest prime minister and the first person born after the establishment of Israel in 1948 to hold the office.
Although Netanyahu had strongly opposed the 1993 Oslo peace accords, he continued negotiations with the Palestinians after taking office.
In 1997, his government reached an agreement under which approximately 80 per cent of Hebron was transferred to the Palestinian Authority. Further Israeli withdrawals from the occupied West Bank were subsequently agreed upon, drawing strong criticism from his right-wing supporters and coalition partners.
His first term, however, did not last long.
In 1999, Netanyahu decided to hold elections 17 months ahead of schedule but lost to Labour Party leader Ehud Barak. After just three years, he was out of office, although he would later return to the centre of Israeli politics.
Netanyahu’s Political Comeback
After losing power in 1999, Netanyahu stepped down as Likud leader, and Ariel Sharon took over the party.
However, when Sharon became prime minister in 2001, Netanyahu returned to government. He first served as foreign minister and later as finance minister, strengthening his political position through economic reforms.
In 2005, Netanyahu resigned from the cabinet over Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied Gaza Strip.
That same year, the political landscape shifted again when Sharon left Likud to establish a new centrist party, Kadima.
Sharon’s stroke created a political vacuum that gave Netanyahu another opportunity to rise. He was once again elected leader of Likud.
In March 2009, Netanyahu became prime minister for the second time. Early in his term, he agreed to an unusual 10-month moratorium on settlement construction in the West Bank, allowing peace talks with the Palestinians to resume.
The negotiations ended without an agreement by the end of 2010.
Although Netanyahu accepted the idea of a Palestinian state under certain conditions in 2009, his position became significantly harder in subsequent years. He repeatedly argued that a Palestinian state perceived as a threat to Israel’s security should not be established.
In recent years, he has insisted that Israel maintain full security control over all territories west of the Jordan River, including Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
During his time in office, Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank expanded significantly, prompting strong criticism from Palestinians and the international community.
Critics argue that the policy has further complicated the prospects for a two-state solution, while supporters consider it part of Israel’s security requirements.
Iran has remained a central focus of Netanyahu’s security policy. For more than three decades, he has described Iran as Israel’s greatest strategic threat and urged world powers to adopt a tougher position towards Tehran.
As a result, Iran has become a defining issue in his political identity and foreign policy.
Tensions between Israel and Gaza, Palestinian attacks, Israeli military operations and persistent regional security concerns have shaped much of Netanyahu’s tenure since 2009.
The Bribery, Fraud and Breach of Trust Case
Investigations into corruption allegations against Netanyahu began after 2016. In November 2019, he was charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
Netanyahu denies all the charges, arguing that he is the target of an organised campaign by his political opponents.
His trial formally began in May 2020, making him the first sitting Israeli prime minister to face criminal proceedings while in office.
He also requested a pardon from President Isaac Herzog. Herzog said, however, that efforts towards a reconciliation or settlement should be attempted first.
More than six years later, the case has yet to reach a conclusion, and legal proceedings remain ongoing.
Meanwhile, the Netanyahu government’s controversial judicial reforms triggered large-scale protests across Israel. The demonstrations exposed deep divisions in Israeli society over democracy, the role of the judiciary and national identity.
Observers say these divisions, which existed before the October 7, 2023, attacks, remain unresolved.
Netanyahu’s Relationship With Donald Trump
After Donald Trump became US president in 2017, relations between Washington and Tel Aviv grew stronger, with significant alignment between the two leaders’ policies.
In 2018, Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a move widely viewed as a major diplomatic achievement for Netanyahu. The decision, however, provoked strong reactions across the Arab world.
Palestinians regard East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, while the United Nations considers it part of the occupied Palestinian territory.
In January 2020, Netanyahu described Trump’s proposed peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians as the “opportunity of the century”. Palestinian leaders rejected it as a one-sided proposal.
The two leaders also shared similar positions on Iran. Netanyahu welcomed Trump’s 2018 decision to withdraw the United States from the Iran nuclear agreement and reimpose sanctions.
However, relations became strained after Netanyahu congratulated Joe Biden on his victory in the November 2020 US presidential election. Trump criticised Netanyahu and accused him of disloyalty.
Their relationship later improved, although tensions occasionally resurfaced.
During Trump’s second presidency, ties between the two leaders strengthened again. Trump supported Israeli actions against Iran, recommended a pardon for Netanyahu in his corruption cases and invited him to the White House on multiple occasions.
Since Trump returned to office in January 2025, Netanyahu has met him eight times, reportedly more often than any other world leader.
Just days before the election, Trump openly endorsed Netanyahu. On his social media platform Truth Social, he described him as a “great wartime Prime Minister”, praising him as a strong, brave and intelligent leader despite intense opposition.
