Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Yoav Galand from the government, according to Israeli media, citing a lack of trust between him and the former defense minister.

Netanyahu said there was a gap between the two regarding the management of wars.

Yoav Galand is to be replaced by Israel Katz, who was Israel’s foreign minister.

The role of foreign minister will be taken by Gideon Saar, who was previously minister without portfolio.

“Unfortunately, although in the first months of the war there was trust and there was a lot of fruitful work, in the last months that trust broke down between me and the defense minister,” Netanyahu said.

“I made repeated efforts to bridge these gaps, but they only widened. These issues even reached the public in an unacceptable manner and, worst of all, became known to our enemies, who rejoiced and profited from it,” he said.

Netanyahu noted that most members of the government agree with him.

For his part in his first statement, Yoav Galand stated that “the security of the State of Israel has been and will always remain my life’s mission.”

It is noted that relations between the prime minister and the defense minister deteriorated after the outbreak of war on October 7, culminating in the handling of the war in Gaza with Yoav Gallad accusing Netanyahu of a lack of intention to negotiate for the release of the hostages.

In fact, Gallant publicly accused Netanyahu of involving political reasons in his decision-making, while Netanyahu accused Galland of trying to overthrow the government from within.

Gallant’s ouster could have far-reaching implications for Israel’s multi-front war and US efforts to end it. The former defense secretary has been the linchpin of the relationship with the US and the staunchest supporter of the Biden administration’s efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.

Tensions between the US government and Netanyahu have risen in recent months due to the Israeli prime minister’s tough stance on talks, but also over a series of military actions taken without much notice to the US.

Gallant spoke more than 70 times with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin by phone and several times in person during the war, Pentagon releases show.

Gallad was backed by the US and his dismissal comes after Blinken criticized the Israeli government for not doing enough to deal with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Galland and Netanyahu are both members of Israel’s conservative Likud party. But relations between them have been strained for months, with the men barely on speaking terms, people familiar with the matter say. Gallant has criticized the prime minister in meetings, parliamentary appearances and even press conferences.

Netanyahu said of the choice of Defense Minister Israel Katz, who is considered one of the hard-liners within the Israeli government, that “Katz has proven his ability and his dedication to national security, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Finance and Minister Intelligence for five years, as well as a long-standing member of the Security Council”.

“He brings an impressive combination of experience and practical ability, known as a ‘bulldozer’ with quiet strength and responsible determination—all key attributes for campaign leadership,” the prime minister added.