Israeli government approves Katz as new foreign minister amid Gaza onslaught

By Zain Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli government on Sunday approved appointment of Energy Minister Yisrael Katz as the country’s foreign minister.

Katz will replace Eli Cohen, who will become energy minister under a rotation agreement within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party, Haaretz newspaper reported.

The replacement must be approved by the Knesset (Israel’s parliament).

Under the agreement, Cohen will return as foreign minister in 2026, if the current government is still in power.

Katz had previously served as foreign minister from 2019 to 2020.

The replacement came as Israel continued its military campaign on the Gaza Strip since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, killing at least 21,822 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 56,451 others, according to health authorities in the enclave.

Israeli authorities claim the Hamas attack has killed around 1,200 Israelis.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave's infrastructure damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi