A screen capture of a Hezbollah bunker discovered by IDF troops. Picture: Twitter/X
Protests have erupted in Tel Aviv after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and replaced him with current Foreign Affairs Minister Yisrael Katz.
The prime minister and defence minister must have “complete trust” during war, and “over the past few months this trust has been cracked between me and the minister of defence,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
The PM said he tried to bridge the gaps, but “they kept widening.”
Families of hostages criticised the decision, saying it’s “unfortunate proof of the Israeli government’s poor prioritization.”
“The dismissal of Defence Minister Gallant is a direct continuation of the ‘efforts’ to torpedo the hostage deal,” the families said in a statement.
“We demand that the incoming defence minister express an explicit commitment to ending the war and implementing a comprehensive deal to return all the hostages immediately.”
SUFFERING CONTINUES
Meanwhile, the Israel Defence Forces is continuing intense airstrikes and ground campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon, including in Beirut, with food supplies running out.
Tensions also remain high between Israel and Iran after Tel Aviv launched what it called “precise strikes on military targets” on sites in Iran following Tehran’s October 1 missile barrage.
The US is also deploying a carrier strike group and long-range bombers to the region.
Acute food insecurity is especially pressing in northern Gaza, according to media reports.
Dr. Abu Safiyeh, who works at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, said the besieged facility is running out of food.
His warning followed a statement last week from the United Nations’ food assistance arm warning that “the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza could soon escalate into a famine unless immediate action is taken”.
Authorities in Lebanon reported raids across the country, and the toll from a strike on Tuesday in the town of Barja, south of Beirut, rose to 20.
Hezbollah claimed it had fired rockets and drones into northern Israel and targeted Israeli troops near the border inside Lebanon.
