Israel: Netanyahu dissolves war cabinet

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved his country's war cabinet Monday. It was made up of himself, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the centrist former prime minister for the opposition, Benny Gantz.

The war cabinet was created on Oct. 11, days after the Oct. 7 massacre, to oversee the response to Hamas' aggression and the military operation in the Gaza Strip. In addition to its three members, other political factions had observer status.

The dissolution of the war cabinet comes after Benny Gantz left the governing coalition the previous week. The creation of the war cabinet was one of the conditions for Gantz to enter the government coalition last October.

"Months after the October disaster, the situation in the country and in the decision-making cabinet has changed. Netanyahu and his partners have turned unity into a void call who has no cover. Fateful strategic decisions are met with hesitancy and procrastination due to political considerations," said Gantz in statements reported by Fox. "Netanyahu is preventing us from progressing to a real victory. That is why we are leaving the emergency government today with a heavy heart, but with a whole heart."

Netanyahu's Likud party governs thanks to the support of ultra-Orthodox and Jewish religious parties, who hold several ministerial roles. One of these ministers, Itamar Ben Gvir, demanded for months that he be included in the war cabinet.

According to presidential sources cited by The Times of Israel, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will hold small ad hoc consultations with other relevant officials to make key decisions on the war, while seeking final approval from the broader security cabinet. According to Ynet, Ben Gvir will also be out of these consultations.