Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Photo: VCG

Protests have erupted in Israel following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's abrupt firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the Times of Israel reported Wednesday. 

Israel Katz, currently the foreign minister, will become defense minister. Gideon Sa'ar will replace Katz as foreign minister, the prime minister's office said Tuesday. Neither has extensive military experience, though Katz has served in the cabinet throughout the war, CNN reported. 

The move came as voters in the US, Israel's most important ally, voted for their next president. Gallant is a close interlocutor for the US administration, and has been said to have daily conversations with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, CNN said. 

Gallant said his dismissal stems from disagreements on three issues: ultra-Orthodox military conscription, a hostage deal with Hamas, and a state commission of inquiry into the government's failures related to the October 7 attack that sparked the ongoing Gaza war, according to the Times of Israel.

Gallant, who was considered a moderate voice on security issues, had become an internal obstacle to Netanyahu's approach, Li Weijian, vice president of the Chinese Association of Middle East Studies, told the Global Times. 

Netanyahu and Gallant have long had a divisive working relationship. During the past year, there have been reports of shouting matches between the two men over Israel's war strategy, BBC reported. 

In August, the defense minister questioned the Israeli leader's goal of "total victory" over Hamas in Gaza, calling it "nonsense," The New York Times reported. 

Even before the war in Gaza, Gallant had repeatedly clashed with Netanyahu. Gallant was previously dismissed in March 2023 after Gallant spoke out against Netanyahu government's proposed overhaul of the judicial system, but he was reinstated less than a month later, the Times of Israel reported.

Over a year later, hostages remain unaccounted for, and the safety situation has become unprecedentedly perilous. In this context, Gallant, who advocated for hostage release, was dismissed, prompting protests among ordinary Israelis who are increasingly discontented, Li said. 

Thousands of text messages were sent to anti-government lists calling on citizens to protest the move, and large crowds gathered in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa Caesarea, and other locations throughout Israel, the Times of Israel reported.