The Israeli army announced today, Thursday, the death of the son of war council member and former chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot in battles in the Gaza Strip. The "Times of Israel" newspaper reported that Eisenkot received news of his son's death while touring the southern command of the army alongside former Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz.
Who is Gadi Eisenkot?
He is an Israeli military figure of Moroccan descent who took the position of chief of staff of the Israeli army on February 16, 2015, succeeding Benny Gantz, after being promoted to the rank of general by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Moshe Ya'alon at his swearing-in, becoming the 21st chief of staff of the Israeli army. He joined the "Golani" Brigade in 1978, and during the Israeli war in Lebanon, he served as a division commander. He also served as an operations officer during 1986-1987, after which he was appointed as an operations officer in the northern command and was promoted to colonel in 1992.
He was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in 1999 and appointed as the military secretary to then-Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak, participating in negotiations with Syria due to his position. In 2003, during the Second Intifada, he was appointed commander of the West Bank division, referred to by Israel as Judea and Samaria. He was promoted to major general in 2005 and appointed head of operations in the general staff.
During the second Israeli war with Lebanon, he was responsible for planning and executing Israeli army operations. In 2006, he became the commander of the northern command, and in July 2011, he completed his duties as commander after nearly five years in the position. He participated in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in 2009 and 2014. Between January 2013 and December 2014, he served as the deputy chief of staff.
Gadi Eisenkot was born on May 19, 1960, in Tiberias in northern Palestine to parents of Moroccan Jewish descent. He grew up in Eilat and currently resides in Herzliya. He is married and a father of five children.
