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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired war minister Yoav Gallant and appointed foreign minister Israel Katz to succeed him, triggering protests across the country, Al Jazeera reported.<\/p>\n
In a surprise announcement on Tuesday, Netanyahu said he had lost confidence in Gallant over the management of Israel\u2019s wars in Gaza and Lebanon.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the past few months that trust has eroded. In light of this, I decided today to end the term of the defence minister,\u201d the prime minister said in a statement issued by his office.<\/p>\n
The statement added that the differences between Netanyahu and Gallant \u201cgrew wider\u201d and became known by the public \u201cin an unusual manner and, worse, became known to our enemies, who took pleasure in them and derived substantial benefit from them\u201d.<\/p>\n
Netanyahu also appointed Gideon Saar became as the new foreign minister.<\/p>\n
On X, Katz promised to \u201cachieve the goals of the war\u201d and return the captives held in Gaza as \u201cthe most important value mission\u201d.<\/p>\n
Within hours of the statement, thousands of protesters gathered in Israel\u2019s commercial hub Tel Aviv, blocking the city\u2019s main highway and lit a bonfire, as hundreds of protesters assembled in front of Netanyahu\u2019s residence in Jerusalem. Protesters also blocked roads in several other locations across the country.<\/p>\n
For months, there had been open disagreements between Netanyahu and Gallant, reflecting a wider split between Israel\u2019s right-wing governing coalition and the military, which has long favored reaching a deal to halt the assault on Gaza and bring home dozens of captives held by Hamas.<\/p>\n
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 Gaza.<\/p>\n
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir celebrated Gallant\u2019s dismissal on X and said \u201cit is not possible to achieve absolute victory\u201d with him in office.<\/p>\n
Ben-Gvir had previously called for Gallant to be removed from his post.<\/p>\n
In the United States, the Pentagon said Gallant had been a \u201ctrusted partner\u201d and reiterated that its support for Israel remains \u201cironclad\u201d and the US will work \u201cclosely\u201d with the new war minister Katz.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n