Former defense minister Yoav Gallant reportedly told families of hostages held in Gaza that Israel’s military has no reason to remain in the Strip, and that Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu is keeping soldiers in Gaza “out of a desire to stay there.”

The conversation came hours before his firing went into effect Thursday evening and the Knesset voted to approve the appointment of Israel Katz as the new defense chief.

According to a report on Channel 12, Gallant, who was abruptly ousted from his post, told the families that Netanyahu is the only one who can decide whether or not to agree on a hostage deal, and that he “tried and failed” to influence the premier on the matter.

“The head of the Shin Bet, the chief of staff and I think the head of the Mossad also agreed with me,” Gallant said, explaining that he told Netanyahu that “the conditions were ripe” for a deal in July, and that he and the prime minister have been in conflict about the parameters for a proposal ever since.

The ousted defense chief said that he and IDF head Herzi Halevi were both skeptical of claims that there were security or diplomatic justifications for leaving troops in the Strip.

“I can tell you what there was not, security considerations. The IDF chief and I said there was no security reason for remaining in the Philadelphi Corridor,” he reportedly said, referring to a strip of land in Gaza on the border with Egypt, which Netanyahu has championed as one of the key strategic gains of the war.

“Netanyahu said that it was a diplomatic consideration, I’m telling you there was no diplomatic consideration,” he added, according to the report, which is seemingly based on accounts from families who attended the meeting.

“There’s nothing left in Gaza to do. The major achievements have been achieved,” he’s quoted saying. “I fear we are staying there just because there is a desire to stay there,” apparently referring to far-right calls to occupy the Strip and create Israeli settlements.

He also said the idea that Israel must remain in Gaza to create stability was “an inappropriate idea to risk soldiers’ lives over.”

As for the “day after” the war, Gallant explained to the hostages’ families that he believes that “it would be bad for Israel to rule Gaza,” and that Israel has to establish a governing body “that is neither Hamas nor Israel, because otherwise we will pay a heavy price.”

“If this doesn’t happen,” he said, “the process will continue” and will endanger more soldiers by occupying Gaza.

The comments are the starkest yet highlighting differences between Gallant, who backed a ceasefire deal to bring hostages home.

As his dismissal took effect, Gallant posted a farewell message, saying that he had spoken to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to thank him “for his partnership and deep commitment to the defense cooperation between our countries, and to the security of the State of Israel.”

He praised Washington for its “extraordinary support” following the October 7, 2023 attack.

“It has been my honor and privilege to serve my country and to work together in further deepening the bond between our nations. Our ties are critical to the security and prosperity of the State of Israel and the Jewish people,” he wrote on X.

Gallant was seen as the main conduit for discussions between the Biden administration and Israel amid frequent tensions with Netanyahu.

In the wake of Gallant’s firing, Netanyahu told the Biden administration he was not planning a wider purge of Israel’s security leadership, two US officials told the Axios news site.

Hebrew media had reported that he planned to also fire IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.

The report said that the US officials were not sure that they believed Netanyahu.

They also expressed concern that coordination over the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, and countering an expected Iranian attack could be hampered by the decsion to dismiss Gallant.

“We still have a lot of things to do in the next two months. We don’t have a relationship with Katz, and we are concerned it is going to be much more difficult now,” a Biden administration official told Axios.

Netanyahu announced on Tuesday that he had fired Gallant, whom he fired in March 2023 only to reverse the move amid intense public objection.

The premier announced that then-foreign minister Katz would replace Gallant as defense minister, with Gideon Sa’ar becoming foreign minister.

A modest handover ceremony for the defense minister role is planned for Friday morning.

Opposition politicians accused the premier of playing politics at the expense of Israel’s security. The move was largely seen by critics as motivated by political considerations, including efforts to pass legislation exempting ultra-Orthodox men from mandatory military service, which Gallant had opposed.

Wednesday night saw the second day in a row of protests in Jerusalem and other locations around the country against Gallant’s dismissal.

Israel is in the midst of a war that began on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian terror group Hamas led a massive cross-border attack on the south of the country that killed 1,200 people and saw 251 abducted as hostages to Gaza.

The fighting has spread as Iran’s proxy terror groups joined in support of Gaza, including Hezbollah in Lebanon where Israel has launched an air and ground operation to end rocket fire that has displaced tens of thousands of residents of northern Israel.