Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved Israel’s six-member war cabinet, an Israeli official reported on Monday.
This move was anticipated following the departure of centrist former general Benny Gantz from the government. Netanyahu is now expected to consult on the Gaza war with a smaller group of ministers, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who were part of the original war cabinet.
Netanyahu faced pressure from nationalist-religious coalition partners, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, to include them in the war cabinet, a step that could have heightened tensions with international allies like the United States.
The war cabinet was initially formed when Gantz joined Netanyahu in a national unity government at the onset of the war in October. It included Gantz's partner Gadi Eisenkot and Aryeh Deri, head of the Shas religious party, as observers.
Gantz and Eisenkot left the government last week, citing Netanyahu’s lack of a clear strategy for the Gaza war as the reason for their departure.
