India, Oct. 28 -- Israel's wartime election appeared deadlocked on Tuesday, exit polls showed, with Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc running neck and neck with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's camp, leaving neither side with a clear path to power. A former chief of staff who entered politics in 2022, Eisenkot has sought to position himself as a moderate alternative to Netanyahu while retaining a hawkish stance on security.

The tight contest has put the spotlight on the 66-year-old, whose journey from the military's top ranks to the forefront of Israeli politics could culminate in a historic bid for the country's highest office.

Battlefield to ballot

Eisenkot, 66, comes from a working-class family of Jewish Moroccan immigrants. He spe...