Who is Gadi Eisenkot, the ex-army chief tipped to form Israel's next government?

Israel's political future is in the balance, and one name keeps coming up: Gadi Eisenkot. The former army chief is one of the leading candidates to be asked to form the next government.

President Isaac Herzog has finished consulting party leaders after the 27 October Knesset election. He says he will announce his choice on Sunday.

What happened?

The vote did not produce a clear winner. Benjamin Netanyahu's camp won 53 seats, while the camp led by Eisenkot won 48. Arab parties took 19 seats.

That makes the Arab parties' choice very important. Their Joint List announced it backs Eisenkot to get the mandate to form the government. Turnout was high, at about 78 percent overall and close to 80 percent among Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Herzog has warned party leaders that not every commitment and promise can be kept if they want to avoid yet another election.

So who is Eisenkot?

He was born on 19 May 1960 in Tiberias to a family of Moroccan origin and grew up in the southern city of Eilat.

He joined the army in 1978, in the Golani Brigade, and rose through the ranks over more than four decades. He commanded the Northern Command, headed the operations directorate and served as deputy chief of staff.

In February 2015 he became the army's 21st chief of staff. He held the job until January 2019.

He entered politics in 2022, joining the National Unity alliance led by Benny Gantz. After the attacks of 7 October 2023, he took part in Israel's emergency government.

In 2025 he founded his own party, Yashar. It ran in this election, with Eisenkot presenting himself as a rival to Netanyahu for the top job.

What's next?

On Sunday, Herzog is due to name the lawmaker who will get the first chance to build a coalition. Whoever gets it will need to put together a majority in a divided Knesset (Israel's parliament).

The wider backdrop is tense. Herzog also described US President Donald Trump's announced intention to end American military aid to Israel as coming "like a bolt from the blue".

For now, all eyes are on Sunday's announcement.