Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has sacked defence minister Yoav Gallant, claiming a “crisis of trust,” and replaced him with Israel Katz, who was previously the foreign minister.
Israeli forces issued further evacuation orders in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday and carried out military attacks that, according to Palestinian medics and media, killed at least 35 people since Monday night.
According to a statement issued by Netanyahu’s office, the prime leader has appointed Gideon Saar as his new foreign minister.
Gallant and Netanyahu, both members of the right-wing Likud party, have been at odds for months over the goals of Israel’s 13-month battle in Gaza against the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
According to Netanyahu, Gallant has made statements that “contradict the decisions of the government and the cabinet”.
Katz stated on the social networking site X that he would approach his new position “with a sense of mission and holy fear for the security of the state of Israel and its citizens.”
Reports surfaced in September that Netanyahu, under pressure from far-right coalition members, was considering removing Gallant.
Following Gallant’s firing, protests erupted in Tel Aviv and elsewhere in Israel.
In Washington, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said Gallant had been an important partner and that it would continue working collaboratively with Katz.
France’s foreign minister will travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Wednesday, a day after US elections, to press Israel to engage diplomatically to end the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.
