Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved the war cabinet he established following Hamas’s attack on October 7, due to the resignation of two of its centrist members, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot. The war cabinet had managed Israel’s military operations in Gaza for eight months. Following their departures, ultranationalist ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich demanded inclusion in the war cabinet, intensifying political tensions.
Netanyahu will now conduct sensitive discussions in smaller forums, while maintaining the wider security cabinet's involvement in war-related matters. The war cabinet’s formation was initially intended to exclude Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, who sought a more aggressive strategy in Gaza and the re-establishment of Israeli settlements, and opposed concessions to release Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Gantz and Eisenkot, who had joined the emergency government under the premise of moderating war efforts, criticized Netanyahu's war conduct and political motives. They resigned after Netanyahu ignored demands for policy shifts and a post-war plan. Netanyahu's office rebutted their claims, asserting decisions were based on national security needs.