Netanyahu fires Gallant citing lack of trust, appoints Israel Katz as new defence minister

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over a breakdown in trust during the Gaza war against Hamas, his office said. He appointed Foreign Minister Israel Katz as the new defence minister and Gideon Saar as new foreign minister.

“Over the past few months that trust has eroded. In light of this, I decided today to end the term of the defence minister,” Netanyahu said in a statement issued by his office, adding that he had appointed Foreign Minister Israel Katz to take his place.

Netanyahu said he had made attempts to bridge the differences between him and Gallant.

“But they only grew wider. These divisions even reached public knowledge in an unusual manner and, worse, became known to our enemies, who took pleasure in them and derived substantial benefit from them,” he said.

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“The growing breach of trust between the Defence Minister and me has become public, preventing the normal continuation of our campaign management,” Netanyahu said.

“In light of this, I have decided to end the Defence Minister’s tenure. I have chosen to appoint Minister Israel Katz as his replacement.“Gallant reacted on the development saying that working to ensure the country’s security would remain the “mission of his life”.

“The security of the State of Israel was and will always remain the mission of my life,” Gallant said on X, minutes after Netanyahu announced his dismissal.

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Israel has been fighting Hamas in Gaza since the militant group’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 43,391 Palestinians, a majority of them civilians, according to the territory’s health ministry, figures considered reliable by the UN.

With inputs from agencies.