JERUSALEM: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday over a “breakdown in trust” during the Gaza conflict, his office said.

The two have frequently clashed over Israel’s military offensive against Hamas following the Oct 7 raids.

“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust between the prime minister and the defence minister is required,” Netanyahu said in a statement issued by his office.

“Although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and very productive work, over the past few months that trust has eroded,” he said of his Likud party colleague.

More than 100 patients to be moved out of Gaza today in rare medical evacuation

Netanyahu said he had appointed Foreign Minister Israel Katz as the new defence minister, saying he had “already proven his abilities and his contribution to national security”. Gideon Saar will be the new foreign minister.

Gallant responded to his sacking by posting on social media that “the security of the state of Israel was and will always remain the mission of my life”.

Netanyahu said he had made attempts to bridge the differences between him and Gallant.

“But they only grew wider. These divisions even reached public knowledge in an unusual manner and, worse, became known to our enemies, who took pleasure in them and derived substantial benefit from them,” he said. “The growing breach of trust between the defence minister and me has become public, preventing the normal continuation of our campaign management,” Netanyahu said. “In light of this, I have decided to end the defence minister’s tenure. I have chosen to appoint (Foreign) Minister Israel Katz as his replacement.”

Media reports said Gallant’s statements on different occasions were provided as vital piece of evidence against Israel in genocide case before the International Court of Justice.

Soon after the appointment, the new defence minister, Israel Katz, in a post on X, formerly Twitter, stated, “We will work together to lead the defence establishment to victory over our enemies and to achieve the goals of the war: the return of all hostages…the destruction of Hamas in Gaza, the defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the containment of Iranian aggression and the safe return of the residents of the north and south to their homes.”

On Monday, Israel notified the president of the UN General Assembly that the ban on UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinians had come into effect “following a three-month period”. Jonathan Fowler, a spokesman for the UNRWA, said the move would spell disaster.

100 patients to be moved out of Gaza

Meanwhile, a World Health Organisation official said more than 100 patients, including children, would be transferred out of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday in a rare medical evacuation from the Palestinian enclave.

The WHO says fewer than 300 patients have been evacuated from Gaza since early May, when Israel expanded its military offensive southwards and took over the southern Rajah crossing with Egypt, which had been used for medical transfers.

Rich Peppercorn, WHO representative for the Israeli-occupied Pales­tinian territory, said the patients, including children with trauma injuries and chronic diseases, would depart in a large convoy via the Kareem Shalom crossing with Israel.

Under arrangements made by the WHO, the patients will then fly to the United Arab Emirates from Ramon airport in southern Israel, and some will travel on to Romania, he said.

Asked whether Israel had approved the transfer, Peppercorn said he was hopeful it would be facilitated by Israeli authorities.

He said more than 12,000 people were awaiting transfer, adding: “We cannot continue the way we do now.”

Peppercorn was part of a WHO convoy that provided some relief for the busy Al Adwa and Kamala Adwa hospitals, in northern Gaza, on Nov 3. He said these hospitals were barely operational because of medical and staff shortages.

“For Al Adwa we are very concerned because the hospital needs urgent fuel and medical supplies, otherwise it might become non-functional over the coming week,” he said.

He described the needs as “enormous” at the Kamala Adwa Hospital, in Bait Yahiya, and said there had been intense bombardments nearby during his visit. The hospital is the only fully functional hospital in Gaza’s north.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2024