Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and replaced him with Israel's top diplomat Israel Katz over loss of trust on Tuesday.
"Over the past few months that trust has eroded. In light of this, I decided today to end the term of the defense minister," Netanyahu said in a statement issued by his office, adding that he had appointed Foreign Minister Israel Katz to take his place.
Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds throughout the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival.
A previous attempt to fire Gallant in March 2023 sparked widespread street protests against Netanyahu.
According to a statement from Netanyahu's office, Gideon Sa'ar, the leader of the National Right Party, has been appointed foreign minister in place of Israel Katz.
In his first response, Gallant remarked on X: "The security of the State of Israel has been and will always be my life's mission."
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Netanyahu informed Gallant of his dismissal just 10 minutes before the official announcement.
Opposition leader Benny Gantz, head of the Israel Resilience Party, also commented on X, stating: "Politics at the expense of national security."
Meanwhile, Yair Golan, the leader of the Israeli Democratic Party, issued a call on X, urging people to protest in the streets following Gallant's dismissal.
For his part, opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on X: "Firing Gallant in the middle of the war is an act of madness, I call on the Israelis to take to the streets tonight in protest."
Separately, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir praised Netanyahu's decision to dismiss Gallant, stating on X that the prime minister did well to remove him from his position.
Netanyahu is also reportedly considering the dismissal of military and Shin Bet chiefs.
According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, a source close to Netanyahu said he is considering firing the army and Shin Bet chiefs.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that "Netanyahu is reportedly considering replacing IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar in the near future."
"However, a senior official close to Netanyahu said, 'We are not there yet,' but did not rule out such moves down the line,'" it added.
