STORY: :: Defense Ministry

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defense minister on Tuesday (November 5)... claiming he'd lost trust in the man overseeing Israel's military operations amid bloody conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.

In a video, Netanyahu said differences between him and Yoav Gallant effected management of the war, and crept into public. He said their enemies were aware of, and enjoyed, the disagreements.

The announcement sparked protests in the streets by Israelis furious with the prime minister.

And for many protesters, they'd been here before: Netanyahu tried to sack Gallant last year, before the conflict in Gaza, only to reverse that decision in the face of hundreds of thousands of demonstrators.

Gallant in a brief statement posted on X said, quote, "the security of the state of Israel was and will always remain the mission of my life."

:: Defense Ministry

Gallant, a former naval commando, rose to become one of the most senior commanders in the vaunted Israeli military.

:: October 7, 2023

He became a key figure in Netanyahu's war cabinet following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas-led militants from the Gaza Strip.

:: November 4, 2024

That rampage, which by Israeli tallies killed 1,200 and saw more than 250 captives taken back to Gaza, sparked a massive Israeli air and ground operation that has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians in more than a year of bloodshed.

:: Israeli Defense Ministry

Gallant has worn only black since the fighting erupted and said he feels as if the hostages are his own children.

At the outset of that war, Gallant warned that the price Gaza would pay, quote, "will change reality for generations" and called the fight a battle against, quote, "human animals".

For months there had been open disagreements between Netanyahu and Gallant reflecting a wider split between Israel's right-wing governing coalition and the military.

:: Israeli Defense Ministry

The army, and Gallant, have long favored reaching a deal to end the fighting and bring home scores of hostages held by Hamas.

Gallant said the war lacked clear direction, while Netanyahu reiterated that fighting could not cease until Hamas was wiped out as a governing entity and military force in Gaza.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz will succeed Gallant as defense minister, Netanyahu's office said in a statement.