Israel in Crisis After Defense Minister Gallant’s Dismissal

Tel Aviv, November 8, 2024 — Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant earlier this week, sparking mass protests across the country. Many Israelis saw Gallant as the last moderate voice in Netanyahu’s far-right government, and his removal is being interpreted as a sign that the government is no longer focused on bringing back hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Gallant was replaced by Israel Katz, a longtime Netanyahu ally and the current Foreign Minister.

In Gaza, the humanitarian crisis continues to worsen. The Israeli military body responsible for aid to Gaza, COGAT, said it plans to open a new aid crossing soon, but it did not give a date or details on whether aid will reach northern Gaza, where the situation is most critical. The United Nations says up to 95,000 people in northern Gaza are in urgent need of supplies, but Israel’s military operations are preventing aid from reaching them.

Israel also announced it will allow 300 truckloads of aid, donated by the United Arab Emirates, to enter Gaza in the coming days. However, this is less than the 350 trucks per day that the U.S. has urged to meet the growing need.

Since the war began on October 7, 2023, in which Hamas militants killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 hostages, more than 43,000 Palestinians have died in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, with many of the casualties being women and children. Hezbollah in Lebanon has also fired rockets into Israel in solidarity with Hamas.

The situation remains dire, with both sides continuing their military actions and international calls for more aid and a ceasefire growing louder.