On August 12, Israeli media reported that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant criticized Netanyahu's "absurd talk of 'total victory'," a phrase the Israeli Prime Minister has frequently repeated during the 10-month war in Gaza.

Since the war, Netanyahu has been frequently criticized, including by members of his own administration, for lacking a clear strategic goal, a post-war plan for Gaza, or even a concrete definition of what “total victory” would look like.

Mr Gallant's comments were apparently made during a closed-door hearing before an Israeli parliamentary committee and leaked to the media. Responding to the Israeli defence minister, Prime Minister Netanyahu said Mr Gallant should have criticised Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

"When Mr. Gallant adopted an anti-Israel stance, he damaged the chances of reaching an agreement to release the hostages," the Israeli prime minister's office said in a statement.

Last year, Mr Gallant, a member of Mr Netanyahu’s Likud party, angered the Israeli prime minister by publicly opposing his controversial efforts to overhaul Israel’s judicial system. When Mr Netanyahu tried to fire Mr Gallant, massive protests erupted, with hundreds of thousands of Israelis taking to the streets in the middle of the night.

An unnamed Israeli official said Mr Netanyahu was not currently considering firing Mr Gallant - one of the few remaining moderate voices in Israel's current administration.

Hoai Phuong (according to AP)