Reports are coming in about the thousands of Israelis who have rallied in Tel Aviv to protest against the sacking of defence minister Yoav Gallant.
The protesters are calling on his successor Israel Katz to prioritise a hostage deal to return the captives still held in Gaza, according to Reuters.
Chanting slogans against the government and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the demonstrators held up signs with slogans such as “We deserve better leaders” and “Leaving no one behind!”
One protester wore handcuffs and a face mask with Netanyahu’s likeness, others wore “Bring them home now!” T-shirts referring to the hostages.
“Bibi traitor! You’re guilty” chanted some, referring to Netanyahu and blaming him for failing to prevent the Hamas attack on 7 October last year.
“We, the protesters, believe that Gallant … is actually the only normal person in the government,” 54-year-old teacher Samuel Miller told a reporter, slamming Netanyahu’s administration for opening “new fronts in uncalled-for wars”.
“He’s doing nothing to safeguard our peace, the peace of the Palestinians, the peace of everybody in this region,” Miller told AFP.
He also criticised Netanyahu’s government for “doing absolutely nothing to free the hostages” still held in Gaza.
An Israeli group campaigning for the release of hostages in Gaza on Tuesday has also expressed “deep concern” over the sacking and urged Katz 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.
Einav Tzangauker, whose son Matan is among the hostages, was among those protesting against Netanyahu in Tel Aviv.
“If it is possible to replace a defence minister in the middle of a war, then it is surely possible to replace a prime minister who is unqualified to bring back the hostages,” she told Israel’s Channel 12.
Netanyahu “is intentionally endangering Israel’s security and all that because of a dispute between him and Gallant on how to continue the war”, she added.
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An Israeli strike targeting a residential building in a town south of Beirut on Tuesday killed at least 20 people, Lebanon’s health ministry said.
“The raid by the Israeli enemy on Barja left 20 dead,” the ministry said of the strike on the coastal town around 20km south of the capital, adding that rescue operations were under way.
Agence France-Presse also reported that flames continued to emerge from the building on Tuesday evening, according to a correspondent with the news agency at the scene, as several families fled the site.
It was the second Israeli strike on Tuesday in a region outside the strongholds of militant group Hezbollah.
Earlier, a strike targeting another residential building in Jiyeh, near Barja, killed one person, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. A security source said an apartment used by Hezbollah was targeted.
US has 'real questions' about Gallant dismissal – official
A senior US official has said it has “real questions” about the reasons Benjamin Netanyahu fired defence minister Yoav Gallant and “what is driving the decision”, the Israeli paper Haaretz is reporting.
It quoted the official as saying the Israeli prime minister’s decision was “surprising” and “concerning, especially in the middle of two wars and as Israel prepares to defend against a potential attack from Iran”.
The official said: “We have real questions about the reasons for Gallant’s firing and about what is driving the decision.”
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This is Adam Fulton picking up our live coverage – stay with us for the latest on the Middle East crisis
Evening summary
The time in Gaza and Israel is approaching 1am. Here’s an evening summary of events in the Middle East.
Widespread protests have broken out across Israeli after the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, and named Israel Katz as the new Israeli defence minister.
Netanyahu said there have been too many gaps between him and Gallant over the management of Israel’s wars, and that a “crisis of trust” gradually developed between himself and Gallant that did not allow for normal management of the war.
Thousands of Israelis spontaneously rallied in Tel Aviv to protest against the decision, blocking a main road across Israel, while others demonstrated outside Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem, chanting slogans like “We deserve better leaders” and calling the prime minister a traitor. Some clashed with police.
In other key developments:
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Gallant gave an emotional press conference, stating that he believes “everyone of conscription age must serve in the IDF and defend the state of Israel”. The Ultra-Orthodox in Israel are exempt from military service, while other Israelis are conscripted.
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Gallant also said it is Israel’s “moral obligation and responsibility” to bring Israeli hostages home “with as many alive as possible” and that this is “achieveable but involves painful compromises that Israel can bear”. He added there would not be any atonement for abandoning the captives and for “those leading this mistaken path”.
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Gallant also spoke of the need for a state inquiry into any security failures that enabled the 7 October attacks and to learn lessons from “a truthful investigation”.
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Sirens have sounded in the Red Sea port city of Eilat and in the Arava area, a valley that stretches from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Eilat, after the Israeli military intercepted two drones from the east. No injuries have been reported.
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Israel’s newly appointed defence minister, Israel Katz, vowed on Tuesday to prioritise the return of Israel’s hostages from Gaza and the “destruction” of Hamas and Hezbollah, in his first post on X since accepting the role.
That’s it from me, Donna Ferguson. I’m now handing over the blog to my colleague Adam Fulton in Australia. Thanks for following along.
The Times of Israel has published the entire speech of the former defence minister Yoav Gallant after he was sacked.
You can read it in full.
He states that he was informed just a few minutes before 8pm local time in Israel that the prime minister had decided to dismiss him. The news was announced to the media at around the same time.
Reports are coming in about the thousands of Israelis who have rallied in Tel Aviv to protest against the sacking of defence minister Yoav Gallant.
The protesters are calling on his successor Israel Katz to prioritise a hostage deal to return the captives still held in Gaza, according to Reuters.
Chanting slogans against the government and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the demonstrators held up signs with slogans such as “We deserve better leaders” and “Leaving no one behind!”
One protester wore handcuffs and a face mask with Netanyahu’s likeness, others wore “Bring them home now!” T-shirts referring to the hostages.
“Bibi traitor! You’re guilty” chanted some, referring to Netanyahu and blaming him for failing to prevent the Hamas attack on 7 October last year.
“We, the protesters, believe that Gallant … is actually the only normal person in the government,” 54-year-old teacher Samuel Miller told a reporter, slamming Netanyahu’s administration for opening “new fronts in uncalled-for wars”.
“He’s doing nothing to safeguard our peace, the peace of the Palestinians, the peace of everybody in this region,” Miller told AFP.
He also criticised Netanyahu’s government for “doing absolutely nothing to free the hostages” still held in Gaza.
An Israeli group campaigning for the release of hostages in Gaza on Tuesday has also expressed “deep concern” over the sacking and urged Katz 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.
Einav Tzangauker, whose son Matan is among the hostages, was among those protesting against Netanyahu in Tel Aviv.
“If it is possible to replace a defence minister in the middle of a war, then it is surely possible to replace a prime minister who is unqualified to bring back the hostages,” she told Israel’s Channel 12.
Netanyahu “is intentionally endangering Israel’s security and all that because of a dispute between him and Gallant on how to continue the war”, she added.
The president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, has posted remarks on X after the prime minister, Benjamin Netanhayu, sacked his defence minister.
“The last thing Israel needs right now is an upheaval and a rupture in the middle of the war. Israel’s security must be above all considerations,” he wrote in Hebrew.
“One hundred and one hostages are still in enemy captivity this evening. Thousands of bereaved girls and family members mourn their shattered world. Many reservists bear the burden of protecting the people and the homeland and cry out together with their families for a broad Israeli partnership. Thousands of our brothers are evacuated from their homes for over a year.”
He added: “We must not go back towards the abyss! Israel’s enemies are only waiting for a sign of weakness, disintegration or division within us.”
He then said the role of Israel’s leadership is to “act with great responsibility” at this time.
הדבר האחרון שמדינת ישראל צריכה עכשיו זה טלטלה וקרע באמצע המלחמה. ביטחון מדינת ישראל חייב להיות מעל לכל שיקול.
101 חטופים נמצאים גם הערב בשבי האויב. אלפי בנות ובני משפחות שכולות אבלים על עולמם שחרב. מילואימניקים רבים נושאים בנטל ההגנה על העם והמולדת וזועקים יחד עם משפחותיהם…
An explosion was heard in the Homs province in Syria, as a result of confronting and shooting down a hostile drone, Syrian state media is reporting.
It did not provide any further details about the damage caused by the drone.
Earlier on Tuesday, an Israeli attack targeted an industrial zone and some residential buildings in the town of Qusayr in Homs, Syrian state TV reported.
In a press conference, according to The Times of Israel, Yoav Gallant has revealed he was fired from his post as defence minister over three issues:
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how the defence burden should be shared
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the need to bring home the hostages
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the need for a state commission of inquiry into the 7 October attacks and the war that followed.
Regarding who should serve in the Israeli army, Gallant told reporters “the issue isn’t only a social one, but is a topic central to our existence – the security of Israel and the nation that sits in Zion”.
The Ultra-Orthodox in Israel are exempt from military service, while other Israelis are conscripted.
Gallant predicts Israel will face challenges in the coming years which mean that “there is no choice. Everyone must serve in the Israel Defense Forces, and participate in the mission of defending Israel”.
He said that there will never be “atonement” for abandoning the hostages: “Whoever dies among the hostages can never be returned.” He added: “It will become a mark of Cain on the forehead of Israeli society, and on those who are leading this mistaken path.”
He also called for a government investigation into the 7 October attacks, so that military, political and security lessons can be learned and Israeli forces prepared for future challenges.
At one point, when referring to Israel’s security as his life’s mission, he reportedly choked back tears. “Since October 7, I’ve focused on one mission – victory in the war,” he said.
He went on to praise Israeli’s war effort and warned of a “moral darkness” that has engulfed the country.
Finally, he saluted those have died in the war, the hostages and their families.
Opposition Chief Yair Lapid told the Israeli newspaper that the salute given by fired defence minister Yoav Gallant will be “engraved in the memory of every Israeli”.
“This is how an officer and fighter who was fired only because he refused to prefer Netanyahu’s wretched politics over the good of the fighters and the lives of the hostages,” Lapid said.
There are eyewitness reports of clashes breaking out between protesters and police outside the residence of the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Yoav Gallant, who was sacked from his post earlier today, has told reporters that Gaza hostages must be brought home while “still alive” and that “everyone” must serve in the Israeli army.
As my colleague Sarah Haque reported earlier, over 13 months of war in Gaza, and one in Lebanon, disagreements with the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over strategy and how best to bring Israeli hostages home frequently put Gallant at loggerheads with his leader.
The final straw that led to Gallant being fired appears to have been his renewed efforts to enforce military conscription for the Ultra-Orthodox community.
Sirens have sounded in the Red Sea port city of Eilat and in the Arava area, a valley that stretches from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Eilat, after the Israeli military intercepted two drones from the east.
No injuries have been reported.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said in a statement that it targeted a “vital target” in Eilat by drones.
The Iraqi pro-Iran group has been launching attacks on Israel since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Photos show the reaction of Israelis to the decision to sack the defence minister Yoav Gallant.
Biden officials reportedly saw Gallant as a voice of reason within the Israeli government and a politician who understood the need to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
The Pentagon has said that Yoav Gallant, who has been fired as defence minister, was a “trusted partner” and that America’s commitment to Israel’s security “remains ironclad”.
Pentagon spokesperson Maj Gen Patrick Ryder added in a statement: “The US Department of Defense will continue to work closely with Israel’s next Minister of Defense.”
Reuters has some more information about Israel Katz, the new defence minister, who is described as a long-time ally and loyalist of the prime minister.
A member of Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party, in which he was previously president of the party’s convention, Katz has held multiple cabinet roles going back to 2003.
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 the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, 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 United Nations 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” and wrote in a post on X that he would ban him from entering the country.
Before serving as foreign minister, Katz’s most notable role was as minister of transport.
He spent a decade in the post from 2009-2019, but had also held the energy and finance portfolios in various Netanyahu cabinets.
Aviv Bushinsky, a political commentator and Netanyahu’s former chief of staff, told AFP that Katz was likely to be more in tune with the prime minister than his predecessor Gallant.
“I cannot recall an incident when Israel Katz was in opposition to Netanyahu with anything,” Bushinsky said.
“It is true he does not have any military experience, but he was a very good transport minister and has sat in the cabinet for many years,” he added.
“Besides, Netanyahu thinks he can run the show himself – and he has managed to run the show even though Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, two generals, quit the government.”
Born in the coastal city of Ashkelon, Katz has been a prominent player in Israeli politics since becoming a member of parliament, the Knesset, in 1998.
Today he is among the highest-ranking ministers in the Likud party.
Married with two children, Katz is a resident of Moshav Kfar Ahim in southern Israel.
Thousands of Israelis are blocking a main highway in Tel Aviv in a spontaneous protest about the sacking of defence minister Yoav Gollant.
Traffic on Ayalon Highway, the main artery through central Israel, has come to a standstill in both directions.
Protesters are lighting bonfires and erecting makeshift roadblocks with road signs and construction materials, and chanting that the Israeli prime minister is a traitor with blood on his hands, the Times of Israel reports.
More than 2,000 protesters are present, according to the Israeli newspaper, and the Ayalon is awash with Israeli flag, photos of the hostages and yellow flags, which signify solidarity with the hostages.
Police are reportedly blocking protesters from reaching the residence of the Israeli prime minister and have stationed barriers and water cannon at the site.
The police have not yet used the cannon, the Times of Israel reports.
Photographs from Reuters show police detaining a protester.
Photos are coming in of the anti-government protesters taking to the streets after the sacking of Yoav Gallant.
The Israeli prime minister is trying to avoid “blowback” from the Biden administration by firing Yoav Gollant on the day of the US presidential election, while Biden’s attention is elsewhere, a US official has reportedly told The Times of Israel.
The official told the Israeli newspaper that the Biden administration was caught off guard by the decision, and is still working to gather more information.
On a previous occasion when Netanyahu fired Gallant, in March, the White House expressed its “deep concern” about the decision, and Netanyahu reversed his decision after widespread public opposition to the move.
The newspaper reports that Biden officials saw Gallant as a “voice of reason” inside the Israeli government.
English (US)