Netanyahu fires Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on day of US elections

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday evening that he was removing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant from his position and replacing him with Israel Katz, citing a "crisis of trust" that "gradually deepened."

The move is a stunning shift after the prime minister nearly made a similar move in September but made an about-turn. United Right Chairman MK Gideon Sa'ar, who joined the coalition in late September as a Minister-without-portfolio, will replace Katz as Foreign Minister.

Netanyahu made the announcement in a video statement on Tuesday evening, just hours after a crisis with the United Torah Judaism party deepened over the prime minister's decision to backtrack on a bill that would incentivize haredi yeshiva students to avoid IDF service.