Eisenkot to i24NEWS: Netanyahu has learned nothing from October 7
In an i24NEWS interview, the former IDF chief accuses Netanyahu of dividing Israelis, pledges to dismantle Hamas within 18 months and rejects regime change as a war aim in Iran
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has learned nothing from October 7,” Yashar leader and former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot told i24NEWS, accusing him of continuing to divide Israelis and represent political opponents as enemies.
Eisenkot pointed to campaign billboards bearing the slogan “The right or Palestine,” which placed him and bereaved relatives on the “Palestine” side. “I think the most serious problem is this ‘us and them’ mentality,” he said, warning that such divisions undermined Israel’s existence as a people and a state.
Recalling his time in the war cabinet, Eisenkot said he had helped steady Netanyahu during the panic of the war’s opening days. He said he had urged Netanyahu to concentrate on the fighting in the south and postpone an attack in the north, despite pressure from others in the room. According to Eisenkot, Netanyahu told him the following day: “You saved us yesterday.”
Eisenkot also accused Netanyahu of lying about his positions on military operations in Gaza, Rafah and Iran, and called on him to release the cabinet’s voting records. He separately described Netanyahu as “delusional,” challenging his account of Israel’s achievements against Iran’s nuclear program.
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On Gaza, Eisenkot pledged to destroy or dismantle Hamas’s military and governing capabilities within 18 months. He distinguished that objective from eliminating the Muslim Brotherhood’s ideology, arguing that his experience fighting Palestinian suicide terrorism in the West Bank showed he could deliver on the promise.
On Iran, Eisenkot said he would pursue the destruction of its nuclear and missile programs and its regional proxies, but rejected making regime change a war objective. While the Iranian government’s fall would benefit Israel, the region and humanity, he said, toppling it should not be the stated purpose of military action.
Eisenkot said he was confident he would become Israel’s next prime minister and pledged to establish a state commission of inquiry into October 7. He reiterated that those who held political or military leadership positions during the attack should leave office, saying Netanyahu could not ask for the public’s trust again after such a grave failure.