Israeli PM Netanyahu fires defence minister Yoav Gallant in surprise announcement

5 November 2024, 19:12 | Updated: 5 November 2024, 19:36

Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired his defence minister Yoav Gallant, citing a “crisis of trust” between them.

Gallant and Netanyahu have been rivals within the ruling Likud party for a long time, and have repeatedly been at odds over Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz will become the new defence minister, and Gideon Saar will replace Katz as foreign minister.

The country is still embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region.

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Netanyahu’s office published a terse letter to Gallant on Tuesday evening announcing the decision.

"In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defence minister," Mr Netanyahu said.

"Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the defence minister."

Gallant has responded to the news on X, writing: “The security of the state of Israel was and will always remain the mission of my life.”

Gallant is a widely considered by Israel’s international allies to be a brake on the far-right elements of the country’s coalition government.

While Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas, Gallant had taken a more pragmatic approach in recent times, saying that military force has created the necessary conditions for a diplomatic deal that could bring home hostages held by the militant group.

Earlier this year the International Criminal Court requested arrest warrants for both Netanyahu and Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's far-right national security minister, expressed support for Netanyahu's decision to sack the former defence minister.

"I congratulate the prime minister on the decision to dismiss Gallant," Ben Gvir said.

He criticised Gallant, claiming that “it is not possible to achieve absolute victory” if he remained in office.

Ben Gvir’s comments reflect wider trends within Netanyahu’s government, which favours a more aggressive stance in Israel's wars on Gaza and Lebanon.