Dismissed Israeli defense chief Gallant says firing tied to disputes about Haredi draft, Gaza hostages

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ousted Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said his firing was due to disagreements with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the conscription of Haredi Jews into the military, emphasizing his opposition to “passing a discriminatory and corrupt law.”

Gallant also noted in a video message that another contributing factor to his dismissal was a disagreement concerning the issue of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip.

“Whoever dies among the hostages can never be returned. There isn’t and will never be atonement for abandoning the hostages,” he said, hinting that the government should reach a deal with Hamas to bring back the hostages.

He added that his third point of contention with Netanyahu was the necessity of drawing lessons after conducting a thorough investigation into the attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which was a security failure

Netanyahu fired Gallant on Tuesday and replaced him with Foreign Minister Israel Katz, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority.

Israel has continued a devastating offensive on Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, killing nearly 43,400 people and rendering the enclave almost uninhabitable.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the blockaded enclave.