Israeli Prime Minister suddenly dismisses Defense Minister

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on November 5 decided to dismiss Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on the grounds that he no longer had confidence in this official during the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

In a video statement released by the Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu explained that the trust between him and Minister Gallant had broken and could not be repaired.

He will be replaced by Israel Katz, currently Foreign Minister, and Gideon Sa'ar, currently Secretary of State, will replace Katz.

In his first reaction, Mr. Gallant declared on social network X that the security of the State of Israel has been and will always be his life's mission.

On the evening of November 5, thousands of Israelis in major cities took to the streets to protest the above decision at the call of opposition political parties.

In Tel Aviv, people flooded the main Ayalon Highway, blocking traffic and forcing police to deploy forces to blockade it. In Jerusalem, protesters also poured into Prime Minister Netanyahu's official residence to protest.

News of Mr. Gallant's resignation has been leaked for months, due to his public opposition to many of the Israeli government's policies regarding the way the conflict in the Gaza Strip was handled.

Mr. Gallant is known for not being afraid to clash when it comes to some of the Israeli government's decisions regarding the conflict in the Gaza Strip that he believes are wrong.

He also strongly opposed the Orthodox Jewish community's refusal to join the army as required by law, making him a thorn in the side of politicians from far-right religious parties.

Prime Minister Netanyahu's decision immediately received support from far-right government members, but was strongly opposed by opposition politicians.