The son of war cabinet minister and former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot was killed fighting in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said. The death of Gal Eisenkot, 25, and another soldier, Jonathan David Deutch, 34, brings the death toll for Israeli soldiers in Gaza to 89.
Eisenkot was killed in a booby-trapped tunnel in the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza. He was taken to a hospital in serious condition, the Times of Israel reported, where he died of his injuries.
Eisenkot is a current minister in the emergency government formed after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel as part of the National Camp party led by Benny Gantz, another former chief of the Israeli military. Eisenkot also holds an observer role in the war cabinet, responsible for overseeing decision-making in Gaza.
As part of the unity agreement signed on Oct. 11, the war cabinet will last for the duration of the war, during which no legislation or non-Gaza resolutions will be advanced in the Israeli Knesset.
Reacting to the news Thursday, Gantz said, “Gal didn’t hesitate to volunteer for reserve duty for the country he was brought up to love all his life. A country he loved with all his heart.”
Addressing Eisenkot directly, Gantz added, “Gadi, we have known each other for dozens of years. Your home is the shape of our country. I know how strong you are, how united is your family, how you always protect all our homes as your own. This will be the case now, I’m sure.”
Addressing Gadi and his wife Hannah, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, “We are heartbroken over the death of your son Gal. We cry with you. We embrace you. Gal was a courageous fighter and a true hero.”
This breaking story has been updated since first publication.
