This surprise announcement comes while awaiting the result of the presidential election in the United States, the main ally of Israel, a country which is fighting on two fronts, against Palestinian Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“In the midst of war, trust is required more than ever between the Prime Minister and his Minister of Defense” but “in recent months, this trust has been eroded,” Mr. Netanyahu said in a letter addressed to Mr. Gallant .
“Significant differences emerged between Mr. Gallant and myself in the conduct of the (military) campaign, accompanied by statements and actions that contradicted the decisions of the government and cabinet,” he added.
Mr. Netanyahu added that he had “chosen to appoint Minister Israel Katz” to replace Mr. Gallant, a retired general who had become one of the main figures in the government.
A former finance minister, intelligence minister and “long-time” security cabinet minister, Mr. Katz, nicknamed the “Bulldozer,” “combines the responsibility and calm problem-solving qualities that are essential to leading this campaign” , said the Israeli Prime Minister again.
Gideon Saar, current minister without portfolio, succeeds Mr. Katz. He entered the government in September, allowing Mr. Netanyahu to expand his right-wing coalition majority.
Relatives of hostages “worried”
Mr. Gallant had established himself in Israel as a leading figure in the war that Israel has been waging since September against Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon.
But he attracted the wrath of the ultra-Orthodox parties, key allies of the Prime Minister's coalition, by ordering the conscription of 10,000 men from this religious community who had until then benefited from an exemption under a rule established to the creation of Israel in 1948.
In 2018, the question of their conscription had created such a crisis that it had precipitated the country towards several legislative elections in four years, without the subject being closed.
The sacked minister also pleaded for a truce with Hamas in Gaza with a view to obtaining the release of hostages still held in Gaza since the unprecedented attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023 against Israel, while the objective hammered out by Mr. Netanyahu is destroying the Palestinian Islamist movement.
The Families Forum, the main association of hostage relatives, said it was “deeply concerned” about the dismissal of Mr. Gallant, calling on his successor to “prioritize” an agreement with Hamas for the release of captives in Gaza .
In the evening, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv to demand that the government reach an agreement with Hamas to release the hostages.
Of 251 people kidnapped on October 7, 2023, 97 remain hostages in Gaza, including 34 declared dead by the army.
Since a single truce in November 2023, which allowed the release of 105 hostages in exchange for that of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, all diplomatic efforts towards a ceasefire in Gaza have proven unsuccessful.
“Mission of my life”
“The security of Israel has been and will remain the mission of my life,” Mr. Gallant reacted on X, to the announcement of his dismissal.
Israel vowed to destroy Hamas after the October 7 attack which resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli data, including hostages killed or died in captivity.
The Israeli offensive launched in retaliation in Gaza left 43,391 dead, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health and caused a humanitarian disaster.
On Tuesday, the Israeli army carried out new deadly strikes on the besieged Palestinian territory in Lebanon.
Mr. Gallant had reiterated in recent weeks his objective of pushing back Hezbollah fighters from Israel's northern border, in order to secure the area to allow some 60,000 displaced people to return home.
In support of Hamas, Hezbollah opened a front against Israel on October 8, 2023. After a year of cross-border shooting, the situation degenerated in September into open war with intensive raids on the strongholds of the Lebanese movement.
According to Calev Ben-Dor, a former analyst at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Mr. Gallant was “perceived as focusing on victory and the national interest,” “rather than petty politics.”
