Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved Israel’s war cabinet following the resignation of centrist leader Benny Gantz earlier this month, a senior Israeli official confirmed to AFP on Monday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the broader “security cabinet will continue to decide on matters regarding the war” between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
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Israeli media reports indicate that the dissolution of the war cabinet is unlikely to result in any major policy changes.
The move is seen as an effort to counter pressure from far-right politicians who have been pushing for more influence in decision-making processes.
The war cabinet was initially established after Gantz, along with his party member and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, joined Netanyahu’s government following Hamas’s unprecedented attack on October 7.
Both Gantz and Eisenkot had stipulated the formation of a war cabinet as a condition for their participation in the government.
With the recent departure of Gantz and Eisenkot from the government, the official explained that “there is no longer a need for the war cabinet,” and that the security cabinet will now meet more frequently.
“The security cabinet is the body responsible for making decisions related to the war anyway,” the official added.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, all of whom were part of the war cabinet, also serve on the security cabinet.
This key forum is responsible for ratifying decisions regarding the war, including truce and hostage release negotiations.
Gantz resigned on June 9 after failing to get Netanyahu to approve a post-war plan for Gaza.
The decision to dissolve the war cabinet is reportedly intended to prevent far-right coalition members from being included in this sensitive decision-making forum, as Netanyahu fears this could damage relations with key Western allies, including the United States.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, both members of the security cabinet and opponents of a truce before Hamas is “eliminated,” have been pressuring Netanyahu to add them to the war cabinet.
The conflict, sparked by a Hamas attack on southern Israel, has resulted in significant casualties.
According to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, 1,194 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the initial Hamas attack. Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has led to the deaths of at least 37,347 people, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
