Gadi Eisenkot, a retired Israeli general who served as chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, announced the formation of a new political party, Yashar, in September 2025. The Hebrew word "yashar" translates to "straight."

Eisenkot became chief of staff in 2015. He was born in the Galilee region and raised in Eilat, Israel. He served in the Golani Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces. He is married to his high school sweetheart and has five children.

Eisenkot entered politics in August 2022 by joining a party led by Benny Gantz, who also previously served as the Israeli army's top commander. Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages into Gaza. Following the attacks, Eisenkot and Gantz joined the war Cabinet under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Eisenkot and Gantz resigned from the war Cabinet in June 2024.

Between the October 7, 2023 attack and his political announcement, Eisenkot experienced personal losses. His son, Gal, was killed in December 2023 during a mission in Gaza aimed at retrieving the remains of Israeli hostages. Two of Eisenkot's nephews were also killed, with one dying the day after his son. Gal Meir Eisenkot's funeral took place on December 8, 2023, in Herzliya, Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in attendance.

Military reporter Amos Harel said, "You can see a cloud of grief around him, but he's not a man who seems broken; instead he seems even more determined." Harel stated that Eisenkot views his campaign as "a debt to his fallen son and the generation of Oct. 7 fighters who died." Media strategist Ronen Tzur said the Israeli public is "looking for a healer ... someone who will calm things down, put on a bandage, put on ointment." Tzur added that the public desires "someone who will lower the tones of hatred, of rift, of division." Eisenkot said, "It was in my head all the time, the fear that Gal could be killed."