Netanyahu sacks defense minister as Israeli military operations in Middle East grind on

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday, citing a "crisis of trust," and replaced him with close ally Israel Katz to lead the country's military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.

The prime minister named Gideon Saar as the new foreign minister in place of Katz.

Netanyahu's critics accused him of putting politics ahead of national security at a time when Israel is bracing for Iranian retaliation to its October 26 air strikes on the Islamic Republic.

Netanyahu said Gallant has made statements that "contradict the decisions of the government and the decisions of the cabinet." In response, Gallant said: "The security of the state of Israel always was and will always remain my life's mission."

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group representing families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, released a statement saying the move is part of Netanyahu's efforts to thwart a potential hostage deal. The group noted that Gallant had supported a hostage-for-ceasefire exchange, emphasizing that Israel has met its objectives in Gaza, while Netanyahu continues to call for the conflict's continuation until "total victory" over Hamas.

Katz vowed the return of Israel's hostages from Gaza and destruction of Hamas and Hezbollah.

As foreign minister, Katz barred UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres from entering Israel over what he described as a failure to condemn an Iranian missile attack and anti-Semitic conduct in September. He also rejected a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon.

The decision was met with widespread criticism due to Katz's limited senior military experience.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said on X, that "firing Gallant in the middle of a war is an act of madness."

In Washington, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said Gallant had been an important partner and that it would continue working collaboratively with Katz.

Israel's military operations in Gaza and Lebanon have entered new phases following the killing of top commanders in both Hamas and Hezbollah.

Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli forces issued new evacuation orders in the northern Gaza Strip and carried out military strikes which Palestinian medics and media said had killed at least 35 people since Monday night.

Acting UN aid chief Joyce Msuya said on X that Israeli military ground operations in northern Gaza had left Palestinians "without the essentials to survive, forced them to flee for safety multiple times, and cut off their escape and supply routes."

More than 43,300 Palestinians have been killed in more than a year of war, Gazan health authorities say.

UN agencies and partners continue to deliver humanitarian aid to the crisis-impacted people in Lebanon amid escalating hostilities, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN chief, said at a daily briefing on Tuesday.

The World Food Program has already reached over 2 million vulnerable people in the country through its emergency assistance as well as regularly programs. 

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that the humanitarian situation in the country has reached levels that exceeded the severity of the 2006 war.

On Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani urged the U.S. and other major powers to intensify their efforts to end the conflict during a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Al-Sudani also stressed the importance of sustained efforts to alleviate the severe humanitarian impact of the conflict, calling for intensified relief operations to deliver aid to civilians in conflict areas and those displaced by the conflict.

French foreign minister will travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Wednesday to press Israel to engage diplomatically to end the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.

(With input from agencies)