Israel’s Netanyahu dissolves war cabinet

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced the end of Israel’s six-member war cabinet.

Reports on Monday said the Israeli leader had announced the decision at a meeting of the political security cabinet the previous evening. 

Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners have been pushing for a new war cabinet to be established after the more centrist Benny Gantz quit the emergency government.

Nationalist-religious Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who have demanded Israel must continue its bombardment of Gaza despite calls for some restraint from allies including the United States, had called for a new war cabinet to be formed featuring coalition party leaders.

However, Netanyahu has reportedly turned them down.

The Israeli premier is now expected to hold consultations about the Gaza war with a small group of ministers, including Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who had been in the war cabinet.