Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, right, attend a ceremony for the 70th cohort of military combat officers, at an army base near Mitzpe Ramon, Oct. 31, 2024.

Israel's Netanyahu dismisses his defense minister

by · Voice of America

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Netanyahu said in a statement Tuesday the trust between the two men had evaporated over the course of Israel’s war on Gaza.

“Over the past few months that trust has eroded,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “In light of this, I decided today to end the term of the defense minister.”

“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and the minister of defense,” Netanyahu said.

"Significant gaps were discovered between me and Gallant in the management of the campaign" in Gaza, said Netanyahu. Despite “many attempts to bridge these gaps,” the prime minister said, “they kept getting wider.”

Netanyahu has appointed Foreign Minister Israel Katz to replace Gallant.

Some information provided by the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.