Israeli defense minister walks out of security cabinet meeting

By Said Amori and Muhammed Emin Canik

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant allegedly left a security cabinet meeting Saturday because his chief of staff was not allowed to attend, according to media reports.

Israeli state television channel KAN said Gallant left the meeting and noted "increasing tension within the Security Cabinet."

Channel 13 said Gallant requested that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not disrupt "government affairs."

The Times of Israel later reported that Gallant, who initially left the meeting in frustration, eventually returned.

Israeli media sources have indicated ongoing disagreements between Netanyahu and Gallant concerning continuing attacks on the Gaza Strip and divergent perspectives on the future of Gaza.

Since the outbreak of the Israeli onslaught on Gaza on Oct. 7, the Israeli army has intensified military operations in the West Bank, increasing the pace of invasions and raids on cities, towns and refugee camps, resulting in 347 fatalities as of Saturday.

The war's destruction in Gaza until Saturday had caused 23,843 deaths, 60,317 injuries, massive destruction of infrastructure and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, according to the authorities in the enclave and the United Nations.