Netanyahu sacks defence minister Yoav Gallant, moves up Israel Katz

Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed foreign minister Israel Katz to succeed Yoav Gallant as defence minister, while Gideon Sa'ar becomes the new foreign minister, the prime minister's office said on 5 November, Tuesday, in a statement.

Netanyahu said that he was removing defence minister Yoav Gallant from his position and replacing him with Israel Katz, citing a "crisis of trust" that "gradually deepened".

He said that they disagreed on the management of the war and that Gallant made decisions and statements that contradicted cabinet decisions.

The decision comes amid stress in Netanyahu's coalition over the draft of ultra-Orthodox leaders. Gallant on Monday, 4 November, approved the drafting of 7,000 more Haredim into the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

Netanyahu also accused Gallant of indirectly aiding Israel's enemies.

"I made many attempts to bridge these gaps, but they kept getting wider," he said.

"They also came to the knowledge of the public in an unacceptable way, and worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy — our enemies enjoyed it and derived a lot of benefit from it."

Netanyahu added that most members of the government agree with him.

Katz, the new Israel defence minister, is described as a long-time ally and loyalist of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A member of Netanyahu's ruling Likud Party, in which he was previously president of the party's convention, Katz has held multiple cabinet roles, going back to 2003.

As foreign minister, Katz drew international attention for his pointed attacks on world leaders and international organisations that had expressed opposition to Israeli military actions, particularly in Gaza.

Formerly a minister without a portfolio, Gideon Sa'ar will replace Katz as foreign minister.

The Netanyahu–Gallant discord

The move is a stunning one, after the prime minister nearly made a similar move in September but made a last-minute about-turn. In a terse letter released by the Prime Minister's office, Netanyahu told Gallant that 'Your tenure will end 48 hours from the receipt of this letter'.

'I would like to thank you for your service as Defence Minister,' he concluded.

"Unfortunately, although in the first months of the war there was trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the defence minister," said Netanyahu in a video statement.

Sa'ar had formerly been an observer in the Israeli war cabinet. In March 2024, Sa'ar withdrew the New Hope party from the National Unity coalition and resigned as minister. In September this year, he joined the Israeli cabinet.

Netanyahu first announced that he would fire Gallant after the latter warned in March 2023 that the government's judicial reforms were endangering national security. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets in protest in what became known as 'the Night of Gallant', and Netanyahu backtracked.

The relationship between the prime minister and his former defence minister has only deteriorated since the outbreak of war on 7 October. Gallant publicly accused Netanyahu of involving political considerations in his decision making, while Netanyahu accused Gallant of attempting to topple the government from within.

Gallant is also an obstacle to Netanyahu's attempt to obtain a haredi exemption from IDF service, and his removal may contribute to solving this problem for Netanyahu as well.

Following his firing , Gallant issued a terse statement, saying that 'the security of the State of Israel always was, and will always remain, my life's mission'.

So who is Israel Katz?

Katz has been the one to spearhead Israel's diplomatic assault against the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA). Last month, Israel's parliament banned the agency from working in Israel and Occupied East Jerusalem.

On Monday, 4 November, Katz instructed his ministry to formally notify the United Nations that Israel was cancelling its agreements with UNRWA.

Last month, Katz had also triggered outrage when he declared UN chief Antonio Guterres 'persona non-grata in Israel' and wrote in a post on X that he would ban him from entering the country.

Before serving as foreign minister, Katz's most notable role was as transport minister. He spent a decade in the post from 2009 to 2019, but also held the energy and finance portfolios in various Netanyahu cabinets.

...and Sa'ar, the new foreign minister?

Gideon Saar is an Israeli politician currently serving as a member of the Knesset for New Hope. He worked as an aide to the attorney general between 1995 and 1997.

He was appointed cabinet secretary in 1999, and again in 2001. He was first elected to the Knesset as a member of Likud in 2003.

Sa'ar served until 2014. During this period, he served as education minister from 2009 to 2013 and as interior minister from 2013 to 2014. In September 2014, Saar resigned from the post.

After a hiatus from politics for over two years, he returned to the Knesset in 2019, and unsuccessfully challenged Netanyahu for leadership of Likud.

He subsequently formed his party, New Hope, and became minister of justice from 2021 to 2022 as well as deputy prime minister in 2021 in the 36th government of Israel.

In 2022, Sa'ar formed an electoral pact with Benny Gantz's Blue and White, an alliance named National Unity. As a member of the alliance, he returned to the opposition following the 2022 election. After the breakout of the Israel–Hamas war, National Unity joined the coalition and Sa'ar was named a minister without portfolio.

"I spoke today with Minister Gideon Saar and offered him and his faction to join the coalition and take on the position of Foreign Minister," Netanyahu said in the statement from his office, announcing the appointment of his former rival.

Edited agency inputs