Israel: Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leading challenger in Israel’s upcoming election, vowed on Thursday to end Hamas’s rule over the Gaza Strip within 18 months of taking office.
Speaking behind a lectern near the Gaza border, Eisenkot said Hamas remaining in power in the Gaza Strip after three years of war represented a failure by Netanyahu’s government, adding that he would “not allow it”.
Eisenkot said removing Hamas would be an official goal of any government he leads. He added that this would be achieved either through action based on US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire framework or through military and operational means.
The pledge marks an attempt by Eisenkot to distinguish himself from Netanyahu on an issue that has dominated Israeli politics and public attention since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
Eisenkot is a retired lieutenant general who served as chief of staff of the Israeli military. He joined Netanyahu’s government after the 7 October attack and remained in it for less than a year.
He has since emerged as Netanyahu’s most formidable rival in what polls suggest will be a closely contested election scheduled for 27 October 2026.
