The news
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the prime minister’s office said Tuesday. Gallant will be replaced by current Secretary of State Israel Katz, and Gideon Sa’ar will replace Katz as Secretary of State.
In a video on X, Netanyahu said he had lost confidence in Gallant and said there were “significant gaps” in his management of the war against Hamas in Gaza.
Gallant wrote in a statement released after the announcement that “Israel’s security has always been and always will be my life’s mission.”
The move is significant, Axios reporter Barak Ravid wrote after the announcement on X, because it is “primarily driven by domestic political considerations.” In particular, Ravid wrote, Netanyahu’s need to pass laws benefiting Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community to maintain his governing coalition: “Gallant opposes the laws, while the ultra-Orthodox parties in the coalition are threatening to overthrow the government if the laws are not passed in the coming days.”
