KEY POINTS

• Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved his six-member war cabinet after opposition leader Benny Gantz and his ally Gadi Eisenkot quit
• Gantz – a centrist – quit citing a lack of strategy for the war
• IDF says this change will not affect the chain of command
• Tensions within the Israeli government have surfaced, with Netanyahu and far-right ministers criticising the IDF’s decision to introduce daytime “tactical pauses” near Rafah to allow humanitarian aid deliveries
• With no signs of a full ceasefire, the Israeli military warned that the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon might escalate into a wider war

Israeli PM scraps war cabinet after key departures

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved his six-member war cabinet, following the resignation of centrist opposition leader Benny Gantz and his ally Gadi Eisenkot.

A government spokesperson stated that decisions regarding the war with Hamas in Gaza will now be made by the existing security cabinet and the larger full cabinet.

Gantz left the cabinet eight days ago, citing a lack of strategy for the war, prompting calls from far-right ministers to take his place. By dissolving the war cabinet, Netanyahu avoids conflicts with his coalition partners and international allies.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that this change will not affect the chain of command.

Gantz and Eisenkot joined a national unity government with Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition shortly after the war began in October. They resigned on June 9, with Gantz criticising Netanyahu’s leadership.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir demanded to be added to the war cabinet, but Netanyahu decided to dissolve the body instead.

“The war cabinet was part of the coalition agreement with Benny Gantz. With his departure, there is no need for this extra branch,” said government spokesperson David Mencer. The security cabinet, along with the full cabinet, will now make decisions.

Haaretz reported that issues previously discussed by the war cabinet will be handled by the 14-member security cabinet, which includes Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Sensitive decisions will be made by a smaller group, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, and Aryeh Deri, chairman of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party.

IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari emphasised that the changes will not affect military operations. “We have the echelon, we know the chain of command,” he said.

The Israeli military began its campaign in Gaza after an attack by Hamas on October 7, which killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Over 37,340 people have been killed in Gaza since, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

Tensions within the Israeli government have surfaced, with Netanyahu and far-right ministers criticising the IDF’s decision to introduce daytime “tactical pauses” near Rafah to allow humanitarian aid deliveries. The pauses are to let aid trucks safely enter Gaza but have been criticised by some Israeli officials.

The IDF clarified that the pauses do not halt the fighting in southern Gaza. Meanwhile, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported ongoing fighting in Rafah, with 65,000 people still sheltering there.

With no signs of a full ceasefire, the Israeli military warned that the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon might escalate into a wider war. A US diplomat has returned to the region to help ease tensions on the Israel-Lebanon border.