Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired war minister Yoav Gallant and appointed foreign minister Israel Katz to succeed him, triggering protests across the country, Al Jazeera reported.

In a surprise announcement on Tuesday, Netanyahu said he had lost confidence in Gallant over the management of Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

“Over the past few months that trust has eroded. In light of this, I decided today to end the term of the defence minister,” the prime minister said in a statement issued by his office.

The statement added that the differences between Netanyahu and Gallant “grew wider” and became known by the public “in an unusual manner and, worse, became known to our enemies, who took pleasure in them and derived substantial benefit from them”.

Netanyahu also appointed Gideon Saar became as the new foreign minister.

On X, Katz promised to “achieve the goals of the war” and return the captives held in Gaza as “the most important value mission”.

Within hours of the statement, thousands of protesters gathered in Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv, blocking the city’s main highway and lit a bonfire, as hundreds of protesters assembled in front of Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem. Protesters also blocked roads in several other locations across the country.

For months, there had been open disagreements between Netanyahu and Gallant, reflecting a wider split between Israel’s right-wing governing coalition and the military, which has long favored reaching a deal to halt the assault on Gaza and bring home dozens of captives held by Hamas.

Gallant said the war lacked clear direction, while Netanyahu reiterated that fighting could not cease until Hamas was wiped out as a governing entity and military force in Gaza.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir celebrated Gallant’s dismissal on X and said “it is not possible to achieve absolute victory” with him in office.

Ben-Gvir had previously called for Gallant to be removed from his post.

In the United States, the Pentagon said Gallant had been a “trusted partner” and reiterated that its support for Israel remains “ironclad” and the US will work “closely” with the new war minister Katz.