Become Israel's Defense Minister: Katz Prioritizes Hostage Repatriation, Destroys Hamas And Defeats Hezbollah

JAKARTA - Israel Katz prioritized the return of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, destroying Hamas and defeating Hezbollah, after being appointed Israeli Defense Minister.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sacked Yoav Gallant from the defense minister's position on Tuesday evening. Instead, he chose Katz, who previously served as foreign minister, the position which was later filled by the Minister of No Portfolio Gideon Sa'ar.

Katz, who is also a member of Netanyahu's Likud Party, welcomed his appointment as defense minister in a statement but did not mention Gallant.

"I thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for the trust he put in me in lifting me to the position of defense minister," Katz wrote in X, quoted from The Times of Israel November 6.

"I accept this responsibility with a sense of mission and deep commitment to the security of the State of Israel and its citizens," he continued.

Katz further vowed to "work together to advance defense agencies towards victory against our enemies and to achieve war goals: return all hostages as the most important mission, the destruction of Hamas in Gaza, the defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the restraint of Iranian aggression, and the return of residents of the north and south safely to their homes."

It is known, this is the second time PM Netanyahu has fired Gallant in less than two years. In March 2023, Netanyahu sacked Gallant the day after Gallant called for a temporary suspension of the legislative process of the controversial government judicial reshuffle plan, which he said led to a split that threatened Israel's security.

However, he was re-inducted less than a month later, leading the Ministry of Defense when Hamas carried out a deadly terror attack in southern Israel on October 7 last year and remained in his post during the war in the Gaza Strip, fighting on the northern border and land operations in southern Lebanon.

Separately, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right minister in the Netanyahu coalition government, praised Tuesday's decision, saying Gallant was still "trapped in the conception" "it is impossible to achieve an absolute victory", quoted by Reuters.

However, Benny Gantz, Netanyahu's main political rival and former defense minister, called the move a "political sacrifice of national security."

Meanwhile Yair Lapid, the opposition leader who is also a former prime minister, said the move "in the middle of war is an act of craze", adding Netanyahu "sell Israel's security and IDF soldiers for his own political continuity."