Netanyahu Dissolves War Cabinet

On Sunday night, Mr. Netanyahu informed ministers that he had decided to dissolve the decision-making body rather than add new members.

"The Prime Minister said: 'The war cabinet was part of a coalition agreement with... Benny Gantz at his request. With Mr. Gantz leaving the government, there is no longer a need for this additional branch of government,'" said Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer during a briefing on Monday.

"The security cabinet is authorized by the state to make decisions along with the full cabinet," he added.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported that some issues previously discussed by the war cabinet would be transferred to the 14-member security cabinet, which includes Mr. Ben-Gvir and another far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich.

It stated that sensitive decisions would be discussed in a "smaller consultative forum," expected to include Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, and the head of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, Aryeh Deri. These three men were part of the war cabinet along with the prime minister, Mr. Gantz, and Mr. Eisenkot.

IDF chief spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari insisted on Monday that the changes would not affect operations.

"Cabinet members are replaced and methods are changed. We have tiers, we know the chain of command. We operate according to the chain of command. This is a democracy," he told reporters.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented assault on southern Israel on October 7, during which around 1,200 people were killed and another 251 were taken hostage.