Thousands in Israel protest against sacking of defence minister
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Protesters blocking a road in Tel Aviv on Nov 5 after the dismissal of Israel's defence minister. Mr Yoav Gallant.
PHOTO: AFP
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JERUSALEM – Thousands of Israelis protested against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s dismissal of his defence minister, demanding the government do everything in its power to bring home hostages held in Gaza.
The demonstration erupted soon after Mr Netanyahu’s office announced the sacking of Mr Yoav Gallant
The removal of Mr Gallant – a hawk on the war with Hezbollah in Lebanon who also pushed for a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza – coincided with the presidential election in the US,
Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant have frequently clashed over Israel’s retaliatory military offensive against Hamas following the Palestinian militant group’s deadly attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023.
“Over the past few months... trust has eroded. In light of this, I decided today to end the term of the defence minister,” Mr Netanyahu’s office said, adding that Foreign Minister Israel Katz would take his place.
Mr Gideon Saar, a minister without a portfolio, was appointed to replace Mr Katz as foreign minister.
Shortly afterwards, thousands of people took to the streets of commercial hub Tel Aviv, chanting slogans against Mr Netanyahu and demanding the return of 97 hostages held in Gaza.
Protesters blocked traffic and lit fires, with some wearing T-shirts with the words “Bring them home now!”, referring to the hostages.
They held up signs with slogans such as “We deserve better leaders” and “Leaving no one behind!”, and one protester wore handcuffs and a face mask with Mr Netanyahu’s likeness.
‘Victory over our enemies’
The reshuffle’s timing comes at a critical juncture in the Gaza and Lebanon wars, with both Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon massively weakened.
Professor Jonathan Rynhold of the political studies department at Bar-Ilan University said Mr Netanyahu was feeling “emboldened because he is improving in the polls”.
“He is also taking advantage of the fact that the US election is happening today... Everyone’s focus is elsewhere,” he told AFP.
After his appointment, Mr Katz vowed “victory over our enemies and to achieve the goals of the war”, including “the destruction of Hamas in Gaza, the defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon” and the return of hostages.
After being fired, Mr Gallant posted on X that Israel’s security would remain his life’s mission.
He called on the government to bring home the hostages in Gaza while they were “still alive”, and insisted that all Israelis of draft age must serve in the military
The sacked minister had been a key advocate for ultra-Orthodox Jews to be called up, but Mr Netanyahu wanted their exemption to continue, fearing their conscription could break up his far-right coalition government.
Hamas’ Oct 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed 43,391 people in Gaza, a majority of them civilians, according to Gaza Health Ministry figures, which the United Nations considers to be reliable.
Hamas also seized 251 hostages in their attack, of whom Israel believes 63 people, including two children, are still alive in Gaza.
After Mr Gallant’s dismissal, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group urged Mr Katz “to prioritise a hostage deal... to secure the immediate release of all hostages”.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri welcomed the sacking of Mr Gallant, who was seen as a key architect of the fight against the militant group, especially in the early months of the war. “Mr Netanyahu dismissed Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant, who was bragging that he would eliminate Hamas. Today, we say to them that Mr Gallant is gone, but Hamas remains, and will remain, God willing,” Mr Abu Zuhri said.
‘Matter of time’
Mr Aviv Bushinsky, a political commentator and former chief of staff of Mr Netanyahu, said Mr Gallant’s dismissal was just “a matter of time”.
“I cannot recall an incident when Mr Israel Katz was in opposition to Mr Netanyahu,” he said.
“Besides, Mr Netanyahu thinks he can run the show himself.”
Meanwhile, on the ground, the wars in Gaza and Lebanon showed no sign of abating.
The authorities in Lebanon reported raids across the country, and the death toll from a strike on Nov 5 in the town of Barja, south of Beirut, rose to 20.
Hezbollah on Nov 5 claimed it had fired rockets and drones into northern Israel, and also targeted Israeli troops near the border inside Lebanon.
The fighting on Nov 5 came more than a month into the Hezbollah-Israel war,
Palestinians in Gaza told AFP that whoever wins the US presidential election must end the conflict in the territory.
“We are hanging by a thread, and like every other people in the world, we are looking for someone who can stop the war,” said Mr Ayman al-Omreiti, 45, in Gaza City. AFP
