Hundreds in Tel Aviv protest Israel defence minister’s firing
Hundreds of Israelis are rallying in Tel Aviv and chanting slogans against the government and Netanyahu. Protesters also closed Ayalon Road in Tel Aviv in protest of Netanyahu’s dismissal of Gallant.
In videos taken by activists and verified by Al Jazeera, cars congesting the main road in the city can be seen.
מפגינים חוסמים כעת את נתיבי איילון בדרישה להדחת נתניהו pic.twitter.com/DgvsxQ2xTp
— תיעודי אלימות ופשעי מלחמה (@arixegal) November 5, 2024
Group urges new defence minister to ‘prioritise’ deal to free Israeli captives
An Israeli group campaigning for the release of captives in Gaza has urged the country’s newly appointed defence minister to “prioritise” a deal to free the captives.
“We expect the incoming defence minister, Israel Katz, to prioritise a hostage deal … to secure the immediate release of all hostages,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement, after Netanyahu fired Katz’s predecessor Gallant.
White House says Gallant was ‘important’ partner
Gallant has been an “important partner” to the US on all matters related to Israel’s security, a White House National Security Council spokesperson said.
“As close partners, we will continue to work collaboratively with Israel’s next Minister of Defense,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Israel’s new defence minister promises destruction of Hamas and Hezbollah
Israel’s newly appointed defence minister, Israel Katz, has promised to prioritise the return of Israel’s captives from Gaza and the “destruction” of Hamas and Hezbollah.
“We will work together to march the security system to victory against our enemies and to achieve the goals of the war: The return of all the abductees as the most important value mission, the destruction of Hamas in Gaza, the defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the containment of Iranian aggression and the return of the residents of the north and south to their homes in safety,” he said in his first post on X since being appointed.
As foreign minister, Katz drew international attention for his pointed attacks on world leaders and international organisations that had expressed opposition to Israeli military actions, particularly in Gaza.
He spearheaded a diplomatic battle against UNRWA, and last month, Israel’s parliament banned the agency from working in Israel and occupied east Jerusalem. On Monday, Katz instructed his ministry to formally notify the UN that Israel was cancelling its agreements with UNRWA.
Last month, Katz triggered outrage when he declared UN chief Antonio Guterres “persona non grata in Israel”.
Israeli officials react to Gallant’s firing
Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right minister in Netanyahu’s coalition government, has praised the PM’s decision, saying Gallant was still “deeply trapped in the conception” that it “is not possible to achieve absolute victory”.
But Benny Gantz, Netanyahu’s main political rival, called the move “politics at the expense of national security”.
Yair Lapid, another opposition leader, said the move “in the middle of the war is an act of madness”, adding that Netanyahu was “selling out Israel’s security and the soldiers … for his own political survival”.
