Former Israeli defense minister suddenly leaves politics

Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has announced his resignation from parliament following internal disagreements over how to conduct the war against Hamas in Gaza.

"I will submit my resignation to the Knesset speaker. I have served the state for 35 years in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and a decade in the government and the Knesset. There are times when one has to stop and reassess the direction," former Defense Minister Gallant said in a televised statement on January 1.

Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant

In his speech, Mr. Gallant pledged to continue working to bring the hostages held in Gaza home. "I have outlined a roadmap and direction for the State of Israel to achieve military victory over its enemies in the conflict," Mr. Gallant said.

“As former secretary of defense, I am responsible for everything that happened from the beginning of my tenure in the months leading up to the conflict until the end of my tenure, more than a year after the conflict began,” Gallant added.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unexpectedly dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant due to a loss of trust in the conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. According to AFP, Mr. Gallant often disagreed with Prime Minister Netanyahu on how to manage the war, and made decisions and statements that were inconsistent with the decisions of the Israeli cabinet.

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After the dismissal of Mr. Yoav Gallant. Israeli Prime Minister appointed Foreign Minister Israel Katz as his replacement. In a statement after his dismissal, Mr. Gallant wrote on the social networking site X: "The security of the state of Israel has been and will always be my life's mission."

In another development, medical workers accused Israel of carrying out an airstrike on a tent camp for displaced families in the southern Gaza Strip on the morning of January 2. The airstrike killed 10 people and injured 15 others. Israel has not commented on the new information.

According to Reuters, more than 45,500 Palestinians have been killed, 2.3 million Gazans have been forced to evacuate and most of Gaza's infrastructure has been destroyed since the Hamas-Israel conflict broke out on October 7, 2023.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cuu-bo-truong-quoc-phong-israel-bat-ngo-roi-khoi-chinh-truong-185250102103251302.htm