Netanyahu dismisses defense minister, shaking up Israeli politics as conflict continues.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ousted Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday, citing a "crisis of trust", and appointed close ally Israel Katz to oversee the country's military operations in Gaza and Lebanon. Netanyahu's adversaries accused him of prioritizing political interests over national security during a period when Israel is bracing for potential retaliation from Iran following its airstrikes on the Islamic Republic on Oct. 26. Subsequent to Gallant's dismissal, protests erupted in Israel with demonstrators obstructing highways and igniting bonfires on roads, as confirmed by the police. Prime Minister Netanyahu subsequently revealed Gideon Saar as the new foreign minister, replacing Katz.
Gallant and Netanyahu, both associated with the right-wing Likud party, had been in disagreement for months regarding the objectives of Israel's 13-month-long military campaign in Gaza against the Palestinian militant organization Hamas. Nonetheless, the timing of Gallant's termination came unexpectedly, coinciding with the U.S. presidential election. Israel's military operations in Gaza and Lebanon have entered new stages following the elimination of senior commanders from both Hamas and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
Netanyahu expressed that Gallant had made statements that contradicted the government’s decisions and those of the cabinet. In response, Gallant affirmed, "The security of the state of Israel has always been and will continue to be my life’s mission."Katz vowed to secure the release of Israel's hostages from Gaza and to dismantle Hamas and Hezbollah. "I accept this responsibility with a sense of duty and profound concern for the security of the State of Israel and its citizens,"Katz expressed on the social media platform X.
During his tenure as foreign minister, Katz prohibited U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering Israel last month, citing a failure to condemn an Iranian missile attack and engaging in antisemitic and anti-Israel behaviors. Moreover, in September, he rebuffed ceasefire proposals from the U.S. and France regarding the situation in Lebanon. Reports surfaced in September indicating that Netanyahu, under pressure from far-right coalition partners, was contemplating Gallant's dismissal.
Gayil Talshir, an expert in Israeli politics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, believed that Netanyahu's breaking point was reached this week when Gallant issued 7,000 draft notices for ultra-Orthodox Haredi men, provoking dissent among government officials who oppose conscription. Itamar Ben-Gvir, a minister in Netanyahu's coalition government, commended Tuesday's decision, asserting that Gallant was entrenched in the belief that achieving an unequivocal victory was unattainable. Conversely, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized the decision to dismiss Gallant during an ongoing conflict as "reckless."
A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council in Washington acknowledged Gallant as a significant partner and pledged to maintain collaborative efforts with Katz. Gallant, who ascended to the rank of general during his 35-years military career, was highly esteemed. France's foreign minister is scheduled to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories on Wednesday, following the U.S. elections, to urge Israel to engage in diplomatic efforts to resolve the crises in Gaza and Lebanon.
NORTHERN GAZA Airstrikes earlier on Tuesday, Israeli forces issued fresh evacuation orders in the northern Gaza Strip and carried out military operations that resulted in the reported deaths of at least 35 individuals since Monday night, according to Palestinian medics and media sources. Acting U.N. aid chief Joyce Msuya remarked that Israeli ground operations in northern Gaza had left Palestinians devoid of essential resources for survival, compelled them to seek refuge multiple times, and severed their escape and supply routes. An airstrike on Monday evening damaged two residences in the town of Beit Lahiya, resulting in the reported deaths of at least 20 individuals, as per the Palestinian official news agency WAFA and Hamas media outlets.
Ten fatalities were recorded in central areas of the Palestinian enclave, with six casualties from separate airstrikes in Gaza City and the town of Deir Al-Balah, and four in the town of Al-Zawayda around midnight on Monday, according to medics and health officials. Additionally, at least five individuals lost their lives in an Israeli airstrike on a residence in Jabalia north of Gaza City, as reported by medics on Tuesday. The Israeli military mentioned, without elaboration, that its forces had "neutralized terrorists"in the central Gaza Strip and Jabalia region. Israeli troops had also discovered weaponry and explosives in the southern Rafah area over the past day, where "terrorist infrastructure sites"were reportedly eliminated.
Later on Tuesday, Israeli aircraft dispersed leaflets over Beit Lahiya instructing residents who had not evacuated their homes and those residing in shelters to vacate the town entirely. The leaflet, written in Arabic, warned, "Remaining in your homes and shelters puts your lives at risk. For your safety, you must head south."Palestinians interpreted the new assaults and evacuation directives as an attempt to clear areas and establish buffer zones. Israel asserted that the evacuations were intended to safeguard civilians from harm as its forces engaged with Hamas combatants. Health authorities in Gaza reported that over 43,300 Palestinians had perished in the ongoing conflict that commenced after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, resulting in approximately 1,200 fatalities and 251 individuals being held captive in Gaza, according to Israeli records.