Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has lost confidence in Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. -AP
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, reports Reuters.
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.
Gallant and Netanyahu, both in the conservative Likud party, have clashed for months over the objectives of Israel's 13-month-old war in the Gaza Strip against Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Netanyahu said that beyond differing opinions, a "crisis of trust gradually opened ... and this crisis does not allow for the normal continuation of the management of the campaign".
"In light of this, I decided today to terminate the term of office of the minister of defence," he said in a statement.
Netanyahu added that he had tried to bridge the gaps but they "kept getting wider" and became public.Â
"Worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy and our enemies enjoyed it and derived a lot of benefit from it."
Netanyahu said such gaps were accompanied by statements and actions that "contradict the decisions of the government and the decisions of the cabinet".
In response, Gallant said: "The security of the state of Israel always was and will always remain my life's mission".
A previous attempt to fire Gallant in March 2023 sparked widespread street protests against Netanyahu.Â
For months there had been open disagreements between Netanyahu and Gallant reflecting a wider split between Israel's governing coalition and the military, which has long favoured reaching a deal to end the fighting and bring home scores of hostages held by Hamas.
Gallant said the war lacked clear direction while Netanyahu reiterated that fighting could not cease until Hamas was wiped out as a governing entity and military force in the Gaza Strip.
