Yoav Galant knew his days as Israel's defense minister were numbered after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's first attempt to oust him last year failed amid some of the largest protests ever seen in Israel.
Netanyahu then relented, but relations between the two never improved and they fought constantly as the Gaza war entered its second year.
Rumors swirled that he would be ousted, but he refused to go and remained a thorn in Netanyahu's side as he sought a deal on Gaza hostages and clashed with other coalition parties over the inclusion of members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in the army.
In a televised address after being ousted on Tuesday, he said Israel was wandering through the fog of battle and "moral darkness", calling for the return of hostages, a mandatory military service law for ultra-Orthodox Jews and a commission of inquiry into the failure of October 7, 2023. He ended his speech with a military salute.
The events of October 7, when gunmen led by Hamas killed around 1.200 Israelis and foreigners and took more than 250 hostages in an attack on communities around Gaza, left a stain on the careers of Galant and Netanyahu.
Galant said both he and the prime minister should be investigated, touching on widespread criticism in Israel of Netanyahu for failing to take responsibility for one of the biggest disasters in the country's history.
As the war progressed, Galant seemed more willing than Netanyahu to end the fighting in Gaza
Galant repeatedly clashed with hard-line parties led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, one of the first to congratulate Netanyahu on Galant's dismissal.
Galant, like Netanyahu, has been uncompromising in his fight against Hamas and the hunt for its late leader Yahya Sinwar, declaring at the start of the war that the price Gaza would pay would "change reality for generations". He described Israel's enemies as "animals in human form" and said Israel was imposing a total blockade on Gaza, with a ban on food and fuel imports.
However, as the war progressed, he seemed more willing than Netanyahu to end the fighting, engaging more with the families of hostages still in the enclave. And a few weeks ago, he said that the time had come to reach an agreement for their return home.
He dismissed Netanyahu's insistence on a total victory over Hamas as "nonsense" and repeatedly called on him to present a plan for managing Gaza after the war. At the same time, he rejected any suggestion that the Israeli army should remain as an occupying power, angering those like Ben-Gvir and Smotrich who have said they want to repopulate Gaza.
However, both he and Netanyahu face the threat of an international arrest warrant over the Gaza campaign, which has destroyed the enclave and killed more than 43.000 Palestinians, following a request by International Criminal Court prosecutors in May.
The possibility sparked outrage in Israel, but the question of responsibility for the military and security failures that allowed the Oct. 7 attack has been the source of much of the tension in Israeli politics since then.
A life mission
After a 35-year military career that began in a navy commando unit, Galant rose to the rank of general before moving into politics a decade ago and becoming defense minister when Netanyahu returned to power in late 2022.
Reuters reports that he is highly regarded by the US administration and Israel's other foreign allies and has never seemed at ease in the world of party intrigue, being more comfortable talking to soldiers on the front lines.
"The security of the State of Israel has been, and always will be, my life's mission," he said in his first statement after learning he was fired.
With Israel fighting a war on multiple fronts, in Gaza, with Hezbollah in Lebanon and potentially with Iran, the timing of the shift has drawn sharp criticism.
Gajil Talshir, an expert on Israeli politics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said that after disputes with Netanyahu and recent tensions over the conscription law, it was clear that Galant would be removed.
"It was only a matter of time. And the timing, on the eve of a possible new attack by Iran, is the worst possible," she said.
Tensions with Netanyahu date back to at least the middle of last year, when Israel was divided over Netanyahu's attempt to limit the Supreme Court's powers, with massive weekly protests against a move critics saw as an attack on democracy.
As protests grew, Galant spoke out against the plan, saying it was so deeply divisive that it threatened national security.
That's when Netanyahu first tried to oust him, but gave up after hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets in a spontaneous wave of protests that paralyzed the country.
"The Guardian" writes that Netanyahu fired Galant at a time when the world's attention was focused on the presidential elections in the USA, thinking that it would go unnoticed, but that he may have miscalculated because the Israelis are furious.
"Netanyahu felt that it was a risk worth taking and that the US would not cause a big problem. Since Trump won, that outcome seems likely. His only mistake may have been that he underestimated the extent of the rebellion and fury at home," the British newspaper said.
Netanyahu fired Galant at a time when the world's attention was on the US presidential election, thinking it would go unnoticed, but he may have miscalculated because Israelis are furious
Netanyahu appointed career politician Izrael Katz, who was Minister of Foreign Affairs, in Galant's place. "The Guardian" writes that he has no military qualifications, no credibility with military leaders, and no experience in managing such a huge and complex system.
The paper estimates that this is typical of Netanyahu, during whose rule four defense ministers were dismissed or resigned.
"Netanyahu has always surrounded himself with extremely extremely incompetent sycophants who never stand up to him or threaten him. But now, after a series of military successes and high-profile assassinations - including Hezbollah leader Hassan Nazrallah, Hamas's political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, and its leader, Yahya Sinvar, Netanyahu felt empowered to oust Galant."
"The Guardian" writes that this "recklessness" should also be seen in the context of Netanyahu's state of mind.
"Netanyahu has delusions about his own greatness. He believes he can reshape the Middle East by toppling the regime in Iran and transforming Israel through an authoritarian constitutional coup. He is affected by the Nero syndrome, due to which he ignores the fact that his country is burning, as well as a severe form of the Louis XIV syndrome, believing that he and the state are one and that Israel cannot survive without him".
Bonus video:
