JERUSALEM, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Israel Katz, former Israeli foreign minister and a close associate of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, formally replaced Yoav Gallant to become Israel's new defense minister on Friday.
According to a statement from the Defense Ministry, the Israeli parliament, or Knesset, voted overnight to approve Katz's appointment as defense minister, with Gideon Sa'ar, a minister without portfolio, slated to replace Katz as the foreign minister.
At the ceremony that replaced Gallant with him, Katz outlined the primary goals of Israel's ongoing multi-front conflict in the region as "curbing Iran's aggression and eliminating its capabilities, continuing to dismantle Hamas as a governing and military force in Gaza, and defeating Hezbollah."
Securing the release of the hostages in Gaza remains "the foremost moral goal for the defense ministry," he added.
Shortly after the ceremony, Katz's office released photos of him conducting a situational assessment with the military chief of staff, the ministry's director-general, and other top officials.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu announced that he had dismissed Gallant, citing their differences over security matters.
According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group representing families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, the move is part of Netanyahu's efforts to thwart a potential hostage deal. The group noted that Gallant had supported a hostage-for-ceasefire exchange, emphasizing that Israel has met its objectives in Gaza, while Netanyahu continues to call for the conflict's continuation until "total victory" over Hamas.
The decision to replace Gallant with Katz has been met with widespread criticism due to Katz's limited senior military experience. ■
