Mass protests have been sparked in Israel after the country’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu suddenly sacked his defence minister, citing a “crisis of trust”.
Mr Netanyahu fired Yoav Gallant unexpectedly even as the country is embroiled in war in Gaza and Lebanon after Hamas’ October 7 2023 attack, saying there were “significant gaps” between them.
The move sparked protests across the country, including a mass gathering that paralysed central Tel Aviv.
“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defence minister,” Mr Netanyahu said, announcing the move.
“Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the defence minister.”
While Mr Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas, Mr Gallant argued that military force has created the necessary conditions for at least a temporary diplomatic deal to bring home hostages.
Many of the families of the hostages, along with tens of thousands of people who have joined anti-government protests, have accused the Israeli premier Netanyahu of scuttling a deal in order to maintain his hold on power.
Within hours, thousands of protesters gathered in central Tel Aviv, blocking the city’s main highway and crippling traffic.
Many protesters on the streets were calling for Netanyahu to resign, and demanding the new defence minister prioritise a hostage deal.
The crowd, many holding Israeli flags and others blowing whistles and pounding drums, gathered around multiple bonfires.
Several thousand people demonstrated outside Mr Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem and elsewhere in the city and blocked roads in several other spots across the country.
In a late-night news conference, Mr Gallant said that he had disagreed with Netanyahu over the need to end controversial exemptions from the military draft for ultra-Orthodox men, the urgent need for a hostage deal and the need to establish an official inquiry into the political and security failures of October 7.
Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel and killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage in the unprecedented attack.
Israel estimates that about 100 hostages remain in captivity, only about 65 of them still alive.
With military service compulsory for most Jews, Mr Gallant said that drafting ultra-Orthodox men was both an issue of fairness and security at a time when Israel faces so many challenges.
He said a hostage deal was needed “as quickly as possible, when they are still alive” and said there will be “no forgiveness” for neglecting them.
Mr Netanyahu’s hard-line partners have threatened to bring down the government if he makes concessions to Hamas, raising the risk of early elections at a time when the prime minister’s popularity is low.
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, whose largely ceremonial office is meant to help unify the country, called the dismissal “the last thing Israel needs.”
Israeli troops remain bogged down in Gaza, over a year after invading the territory in a war that has killed over 43,000 Palestinians, including tens of thousands of civilians, and caused widespread destruction.
Meanwhile, Israeli ground troops are pressing ahead with a month-old ground invasion against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have been killed in the fighting.
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