Eisenkot Receives Shin Bet Protection After Security Incidents

Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of the Yashar party, will be assigned a security detail by the Shin Bet beginning Wednesday.

Hebrew media reports on Tuesday confirmed the move, which marks the end of a long negotiation between the politician and the intelligence agency. The arrangement follows a series of security concerns that escalated in the days leading up to the October 27 election.

The Shin Bet had previously resisted providing its own officers to protect Eisenkot. Instead, the agency initially allowed his private guards to carry weapons. Later, a private security company, guided directly by the Shin Bet’s Unit 730, provided protection for the leader in the final days before the vote. Unit 730 is the department that handles security for top Israeli officials.

Recent events prompted the change in policy. On Sunday, an unidentified woman entered the building in Herzliya where Eisenkot lives. She spent several minutes searching for his apartment while Eisenkot was away. His wife, Hannah, was inside the home at the time. Channel 12 reported that the incident is under investigation, and the woman’s motivations remain unclear.

The same evening, demonstrators gathered outside the residence. A man identified by Hebrew media as Yossi Cohen used a megaphone to shout insults at the family. Footage from the protest shows the man repeating the phrase, "You murdered your son." Cohen is a bereaved father who accused Eisenkot of responsibility for the death of his son, Master Sgt. Gal Eisenkot, who was killed in Gaza in December 2023. Two of Gadi Eisenkot’s nephews, Cpt. Yogev Pazy and Sgt. Maor Cohen Eisenkot, also died in the war.

The protest continued for several hours and ended around 9 p.m. without arrests. Yossi Cohen also directed threats at Hannah Eisenkot, telling her, "You will be next to your son." The Yashar party filed a formal complaint with the Israel Police, alleging that Cohen threatened the couple with murder.

In August, the Public Advisory Committee for Personal Security recommended that Eisenkot receive Shin Bet protection. The intelligence service stated it lacked specific intelligence to justify the move at that time. As the election approached, Eisenkot’s staff cited growing threats online and in public. The election resulted in a fragmented Knesset, with the anti-Netanyahu bloc holding a total of 67 seats. That group is divided between Jewish-led parties holding 48 seats and Arab-led parties holding 19. Several opposition leaders are now backing Eisenkot as the candidate to attempt to form a government.