Benny Gantz

Benny Gantz
Benny Gantz
	Gantz in 2019
1st Alternate Prime Minister of Israel
	In office; 17 May 2020 – 13 June 2021
President	Reuven Rivlin
Prime Minister	Benjamin Netanyahu
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Yair Lapid
Ministerial roles
2020–2022	Minister of Defense
2021	Minister of Justice
2021–2022	Deputy Prime Minister
2023–	Minister without portfolio
Faction represented in the Knesset
2019–2022	Blue and White
2022–	National Unity
Military roles
2011–2015	Chief of the General Staff
Other roles
2020	Speaker of the Knesset
Personal details
Born	Benjamin Gantz; 9 June 1959; Kfar Ahim, Israel
Political party	National Unity (2022–present)
Spouse	Revital
Children	4
Parents	Nahum (Nachum) Gantz Ostolish (1926, Transylvania, Romania – 2005) (father); Malka (née Weiss, Hungarian: Margit Weisz, 1928, Hungary – 2009) (mother);
Alma mater	Tel Aviv University; University of Haifa; National Defense University
Military service
Allegiance	Israel
Branch/service	Israel Defense Forces
Years of service	1977–2015
Rank	Rav Aluf
Unit	Paratroopers Brigade
Commands	890 "Efe" (Echis) Airborne Battalion (1987–1989); Shaldag Unit (1989–1992); Reserve Paratroopers Brigade (1992–1994); Judea Regional Brigade (1994–1995); Paratroopers Brigade (1995–1997); "Etgar" Division (1998–1999); Lebanon Liaison Unit (1999–2000); Northern Corps (2001), Judea and Samaria Division (2000–2002); Northern Command (2002–2005); Ground Forces Command (2005–2007); Military Attaché in the United States (2007–2009); Deputy Chief of General Staff (2009–2010); Chief of the General Staff (2011–2015);
Battles/wars	1978 South Lebanon conflict; 1982 Lebanon War; South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000); First Intifada; Second Intifada; 2006 Lebanon War; Operation Summer Rains; Operation Cast Lead; Operation Pillar of Defense; Operation Protective Edge;
Awards	Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States)

Benjamin Gantz (Hebrew: בִּנְיָמִין "בֵּנִי" גַּנְץ, romanized: Binyāmīn "Bēnī" Ganṣ; born 9 June 1959) is an Israeli politician and retired army general who has served as minister without portfolio since 2023. Gantz also served as Minister of Defense between 2020 and 2022 and as deputy prime minister between 2021 and 2022. From 2020 to 2021, he was the alternate prime minister.

He served as the 20th Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from 2011 to 2015. In December 2018, he entered politics by establishing a new political party named Israel Resilience. The party later allied itself with Telem and Yesh Atid to form Blue and White (Hebrew: Kaḥol Lavan), the colours of the Israeli national flag. In 2022, Gantz became the leader of National Unity, made up of the Israel Resilience Party and New Hope.

Gantz was the 17th Speaker of the Knesset from 26 March 2020 to 17 May 2020. On 20 April 2020, Gantz agreed to join a rotation government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Under the terms of the agreement, Gantz was to serve as Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, before succeeding Netanyahu as Prime Minister in November 2021. However, the coalition collapsed, resulting in another election in 2021. As defense minister, Gantz was in charge of Operation Guardian of the Walls in Gaza. In June 2021, he was reappointed Defense Minister and became Deputy Prime Minister in the new Bennett-Lapid government, serving in those roles until December 2022.

On 12 October 2023, following the breakout of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, the National Unity Party announced that it would form a war cabinet with Likud. Gantz was appointed as a minister without portfolio in the Thirty-seventh government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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