Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has sacked his defence minister Yoav Gallant

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sacked his defence minister Yoav Gallant, saying he has no trust in him over the management of Israel’s ongoing military operations.

Netanyahu appointed Foreign Minister Israel Katz to succeed Gallant as defence minister, while Gideon Saar becomes the new foreign minister, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds throughout the war in the Gaza Strip but the PM had avoided dismissing his rival.

In the announcement of Gallant’s dismissal, made late on Tuesday (local time), Netanyahu’s office cited this gap between the pair over the management of Israel’s wars

“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defence minister,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

“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 defense minister.”

They said that a “crisis of trust” had developed between the pair which did not allow for normal management of the war, Reuters reports.

“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defense minister,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement late on Tuesday.

“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 defense minister.”

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

He included two emojis of the Israeli flag with the statement.

A previous attempt to fire Gallant in March 2023 sparked widespread street protests against Netanyahu.

Gallant is widely considered to be a steadying influence on the far-right elements of Israel’s government and his dismissal is not entirely surprising to keen watchers of Israel politics.

Even before the war, Gallant had voiced opposition to judicial reforms that his critics said amounted to democratic backsliding.

Over the 13 months since the war in Gaza started Netanyahu and Gallant have reportedly frequently butted heads over war strategy and how to bring hostages home. More recently, Gallant has renewed efforts to enforce military conscription for the Ultra-Orthodox community, this is being posited as the possible final straw to trigger his dismissal.

More to come.