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Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has dissolved his six-member war cabinet following the exit of centrist opposition leader Benny Gantz and his ally Gadi Eisenkot.
He also revealed that classified issues regarding the conflict with Hamas in Gaza will now be addressed by a smaller committee, as reported by Israeli media.
A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that this change would not impact the chain of command.
Gantz and Eisenkot resigned due to conflict of interest over Netanyahu’s leadership, particularly the absence of a post-conflict plan for Gaza.
The former military leaders had joined a national unity government with Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition shortly after the war began in October.
“The war cabinet was established per Gantz’s request in the coalition agreement. With Gantz’s departure, the cabinet is no longer needed,” Netanyahu explained to ministers on Monday, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
According to Haaretz, issues previously handled by the war cabinet will now be transferred to the security cabinet, which includes far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
IDF’s chief spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, confirmed on Monday that the restructuring would not affect military operations.
He said: “Cabinet members are being changed and the method is being changed. We have the echelon, we know the chain of command. We’re working according to the chain of command. This is a democracy,” he told reporters.
The Israeli military initiated its campaign in Gaza to dismantle Hamas following a devastating attack on southern Israel on 7 October, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages.
