Netanyahu fires Israeli defence minister Gallant

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, citing a "crisis of trust", and replaced him with close ally Israel Katz to lead the country's war in Gaza and Lebanon.

Mr Netanyahu's critics accused him of putting politics ahead of national security at a time when Israel is bracing for Iranian retaliation to its airstrikes on the Islamic Republic at the end of last month.

After Mr Gallant was fired, protesters in Israel blocked highways and lit bonfires on roads, police said.

The prime minister named Gideon Saar as the new foreign minister in place of Mr Katz.

Mr Gallant and Mr Netanyahu, both in the right-wing Likud party, have clashed for months over the objectives of Israel's 13-month-old war in Gaza against Palestinian militant group Hamas.

However the timing of Gallant's dismissal was a surprise, and came as Israel's ally the US held its presidential election.

Israel's campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon have entered new phases following the killing of top commanders in both Hamas and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

Mr Netanyahu said Mr Gallant has made statements that "contradict the decisions of the government and the decisions of the cabinet".

In response, Mr Gallant said: "The security of the state of Israel always was and will always remain my life's mission."

Mr Katz vowed the return of Israel's hostages from Gaza and the destruction of Hamas and Hezbollah.

"I accept this responsibility with a sense of mission and holy fear for the security of the State of Israel and itscitizens," Mr Katz said on social media platform X.

As foreign minister, Mr Katz barred UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last month from entering Israel over what he described as a failure to condemn an Iranian missile attack and antisemitic and anti-Israel conduct.

In September, he rejected proposals from the US and France for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon.

Reports appeared in September that Mr Netanyahu, under pressure from far-right coalition partners, was considering firing Mr Gallant.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, a minister in Mr Netanyahu's coalition government, praised the decision, saying Mr Gallant was "deeply trapped in the conception" that it "is not possible to achieve absolute victory".

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said on X, however, that "firing Gallant in the middle of a war is an act of madness."

Read more: How Israel's sacked defence minister fell out of Netanyahu's good books

In the United States, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said Mr Gallant had been an important partner and that it would continue working collaboratively with Mr Katz.

Mr Gallant rose to the rank of general during a 35-yearmilitary career.

Earlier, Israeli forces issued new evacuation orders in northern Gaza and carried out military strikes which Palestinian medics and media said had killed at least 35 people since last night.

Acting UN aid chief Joyce Msuya said on X that Israeli military ground operations in northern Gaza had left Palestinians "without the essentials to survive, forced them to flee for safety multiple times, and cut off their escape and supply routes."

More than 43,300 Palestinians have been killed in more than a year of war in Gaza, health authorities in Gaza say.

The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.