Critics of Prime Minister Netanyahu accuse him of putting politics ahead of national security at a time when Israel is preparing for Iranian retaliation after Tel Aviv's October 26 airstrike on its main Middle Eastern rival.

Police said protesters in Israel blocked highways and set fires in the streets after Gallant was fired. Prime Minister Netanyahu appointed Gideon Saar as the new foreign minister to replace Katz.

Gallant and Netanyahu, both from the right-wing Likud party, have been at odds for months over the goals of Israel’s 13-month war in Gaza. But the timing of Gallant’s dismissal was a surprise, and comes as Israel’s ally the United States is in the midst of a presidential election.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said Mr Gallant had made statements that were “contrary to the decisions of the government and the decisions of the cabinet”. In response, Mr Gallant said: “The security of the state of Israel has always been and will always be the mission of my life”.

Meanwhile, Mr. Katz has pledged to free Israeli hostages from Gaza and destroy Hamas and Hezbollah. As Secretary of State, Mr. Katz barred UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country last month, for what he described as “failing to condemn Iran’s missile attack and its anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli behavior.” In September, he also rejected proposals from the United States and France for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon.

Earlier, Israeli police arrested Eliezer Feldstein, a close aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on charges of leaking classified information to foreign media. The investigation focuses on allegations that the Israeli Prime Minister's Office told foreign media that Hamas was planning to smuggle hostages out of Gaza via the Egyptian border.

Israeli forces continued their assault on Gaza and other fronts in the Middle East on Tuesday, issuing new evacuation orders in the northern Gaza Strip and launching airstrikes that Palestinian doctors and media said had killed at least 35 people since Monday night.

UN acting relief chief Joyce Msuya told X that Israel's ground operations in northern Gaza had left Palestinians "deprived of basic survival supplies, forcing them to flee to safety multiple times and cutting off their supply and escape routes".

Huy Hoang (according to Reuters)