Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant after months of clashes over domestic politics and Israel’s war efforts.
While Netanyahu has kept up Israel’s military pressure on Hamas, Gallant has called for at least a temporary deal to bring home the hostages taken during Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Since then, Israel has also engaged in heavy fighting with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia and exchanged long-range attacks with Iran.
Netanyahu said in a statement Tuesday that the trust between Gallant and himself had evaporated for Israel’s war on Gaza.
“Over the past few months that trust has eroded. In light of this, I decided today to end the term of the defense minister,” Netanyahu said.
“Amid a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and the minister of defense,” Netanyahu said, adding that “significant gaps were discovered between me and Gallant in the management of the campaign” in Gaza. Despite “many attempts to bridge these gaps, they kept getting wider.”
Thousands of demonstrators have gathered across Israel to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s firing Tuesday of popular Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
In Tel Aviv, protesters blocked the city’s main highway, creating a ruckus with whistles, drums and a bonfire. In Jerusalem, approximately 1,000 protesters, angry about the defense minister’s sacking, gathered outside Netanyahu’s home.
Other demonstrations were reported across the country, as well.
