Who Is Israel Katz, Israel’s New Defense Minister?

The prime minister has replaced an experienced former general with Mr. Katz, who had been foreign minister and who has staunchly supported Israel’s right-wing government.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel named Israel Katz as the country’s new defense minister after firing Yoav Gallant on Tuesday over policy differences amid wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

Mr. Katz, who was serving as the foreign minister, has been a staunch ally of the prime minister and is viewed as unlikely to criticize or push back against Mr. Netanyahu’s hard-line approach to cease-fire discussions.

In a video statement issued by his office, Mr. Netanyahu announced the change and said Gideon Saar would replace Mr. Katz as foreign minister.

Mr. Katz’s tenure as foreign minister was defined by the regional conflict, as he sought to defend Israel against increasingly fierce and widespread global criticism for how it carried out the war, first against Hamas in Gaza and later against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Both militant groups are backed by Iran, a country which attacked and was attacked by Israel during his time as the country’s top diplomat.

After Israel barred the secretary general of the United Nations, António Guterres, from the country last month for failing to strenuously condemn an Iranian missile attack, one of the largest such barrages in history, Mr. Katz criticized him. In a statement, Mr. Katz said of the secretary general “anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel, as nearly all the countries of the world have done, does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil.”

Mr. Katz previously served as foreign minister from 2019-2020 before being reappointed in early 2024 as part of a political agreement implemented before the country’s war against Hamas. He is a former member of the Israeli Parliament and has worked in other government positions such as minister of finance, transportation, energy and agriculture.

He has never held a top military position, unlike the popular Mr. Gallant, an experienced former general.

After former President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017, Mr. Katz, then serving as a minister of transportation and intelligence, petitioned to name a train station after the American leader, “for his courageous and historic decision.”

Like the prime minister, Mr. Katz is a decades-long member of the Likud party and a supporter of the settlement movement.

Before firing Mr. Gallant on Tuesday, Mr. Netanyahu had clashed with him both over the conduct of the war and domestic issues.

The two disagreed over proposals for the future administration of Gaza and the cease-fire talks. They also disagreed over legislation supporting the overhaul of the Israeli judiciary and about the conscription of ultra-Orthodox Israelis into the country’s armed forces.

“In recent months, the trust between me and the defense minister was damaged,” Mr. Netanyahu said on Tuesday.

Our Coverage of the Middle East Crisis

• U.S. Elections: Gazans fear neither candidate in the U.S. election will help them. In the West Bank, neither Palestinians nor Israelis have much enthusiasm for Kamala Harris. In Iran, where Donald Trump is seen by many as having been disastrous for their country, some hope he might be more open to negotiation in a second term.
• Israeli Raids in West Bank: The Israeli military raided Palestinian villages in the northern part of the West Bank, setting off clashes with militants. Four Palestinians were killed, according to Palestinian health authorities.
• Destroyed Buildings in Lebanon: Satellite imagery and videos show widespread destruction in southern Lebanon, revealing 1,085 buildings that have been leveled or badly damaged since Israel’s invasion.
• Avoiding the War: While Lebanese people are largely united against Israel’s onslaught, some in southern towns where Hezbollah does not hold sway say they feel trapped in the crossfire. One town is trying to stay out of the conflict.
• Hezbollah Operative Abducted: Israeli naval commandos captured a senior Hezbollah operative in a sea-and-land operation that marked the deepest known incursion yet by Israeli forces into Lebanese territory during the war.