Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired defence minister Yoav Gallant, saying there is a “crisis of trust” between them.Netanyahu said in a statement his trust in Gallant had “eroded” in recent months and Foreign Minister Israel Katz would replace Gallant.Gallant posted on social media that the “security of the state of Israel was and will always remain the mission of my life”.The sacking has already prompted protests on the streets of Tel Aviv and political opposition leaders have called for wider public demonstrations.Netanyahu and Gallant have long had a divisive working relationship. Prior to the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, Netanyahu in March that year had fired Gallant over political differences before reinstating him following major public outcry.Since Israel began its military offensive against Hamas in Gaza, Gallant has been a key senior figure of the campaign.But on Tuesday Netanyahu said in a statement: “In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and the minister of defence.”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 the minister of defence.”Netanyahu said that “significant gaps were discovered between me and Gallant in the management of the campaign”.”These gaps were accompanied by statements and actions that contradict the decisions of the government and the decisions of the cabinet,” he added.Following his firing, Gallant only posted a short message on X, stating that the security of Israel “was and will always remain the mission of my life”.Katz will succeed Gallant as defence minister, while Gideon Sa’ar – who previously held no cabinet portfolio- becomes the new foreign minister, Netanyahu said.Gallant’s removal will come into effect in 48 hours. The appointment of the new ministers requires the approval of the government and then the Knesset.Netanyahu first fired Gallant in March 2023 following their disagreement over …
