Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired defense minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday, after Netanyahu said trust between the two officials had “eroded” in recent months following disagreements over Israel’s war in Gaza.
Netanyahu said his trust in Gallant had “eroded” in recent months.
Gallant was fired after “significant gaps on handling the battle” between Israel and Hamas emerged between the ministers, Netanyahu said in a video statement.
The “gaps” resulted in a “crisis of trust” that coincided with statements and actions by Gallant that contradicted decisions by the Israeli government and Netanyahu’s cabinet, according to Netanyahu, who said he made “many attempts to bridge these gaps, but they kept getting wider.”
Gallant, 65, said in a statement Israel’s security “was and always will remain my life’s mission,” though he did not reference his dismissal.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz will replace Gallant as defense minister, and Gideon Sa’ar will succeed Katz as foreign minister, Netanyahu said.
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“Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and [Gallant],” Netanyahu said, adding, “full trust is required between the prime minister and the minister of defense.”
This is a developing story.