Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has dismissed Defence Minister Yoav Gallant due to a breakdown in trust amid the ongoing Gaza conflict with Hamas, according to a statement from his office today.
Netanyahu explained, “Over the past few months, that trust has eroded. In light of this, I decided today to end the term of the defence minister.”
Gallant, who had only returned to the role in April after being fired in March, will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, as reported by Netanyahu’s office.
Following the announcement, protests erupted in Tel Aviv, with demonstrators taking to the streets.
Haaretz reports that the mother of a hostage commented, “Gallant’s dismissal sends a clear message—there is no one left to prevent the foiling of hostage deals; it’s time to take to the streets.”
In a social media post, Netanyahu stated, “We must all stand strong against refusal.”
Gallant responded to the dismissal, affirming, “The security of the state of Israel always was and will always remain my life mission.”
In his video statement, Netanyahu explained that while Gallant had initially been instrumental during the early stages of the war, trust had “cracked” in recent months.
Netanyahu further stated, “I made many attempts to bridge these gaps, but they kept getting wider,” and highlighted that the issues had become public, to the benefit of Israel’s enemies.
Gideon Sa’ar will succeed Katz as Foreign Minister.
