Former Israel Defence Forces chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot formally opened his Yashar party’s election campaign on Tuesday, vowing to establish a state commission of inquiry into the security and political failures surrounding the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023 if he wins the premiership. The campaign launch, held four months before the scheduled 27 October 2026 general election, positions the former general as the principal challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose Likud party currently leads in opinion polls.

Addressing supporters in the South Sharon Regional Council, Eisenkot accused the incumbent leadership of refusing to take responsibility for its failures and of promoting policies that deepen societal divisions. “This is a leadership to which the words responsibility and personal example are foreign,” he said, according to Israeli media reports. The Yashar leader, who served in Netanyahu’s war cabinet from October 2023 until his resignation in June 2024, framed the election as a fateful moment for the country’s security and unity, warning that failing to investigate the October 7 lapses risked their recurrence.

The party presented a detailed governing platform spanning security, the economy, education and public service. Former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen outlined a strategy for internal security that would shift from reactive to proactive policy, while party co-founder Inbar Harush Gity announced plans for a National Service Law to integrate ultra-Orthodox Israelis into the military, describing it as both a security necessity and an ethical obligation. On the economic front, former budget official Shaul Meridor proposed tax reforms designed to reward those who bear the security and economic burden, alongside measures to repair war damages. The campaign also showcased the recruitment of social activist Alex Rif to coordinate immigration absorption plans.

Israeli opinion polls this week projected Yashar winning 22 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, placing it second behind Likud’s 24 seats. Eisenkot’s public profile has been shaped in part by personal loss: his son Gal and two nephews were killed in combat in Gaza. The election is set for 27 October 2026, and the campaign is expected to intensify as other parties formalise their lists in the coming weeks.