- Argentine ex-president Fernandez gives statement in corruption case
- Mexico says Trump tariffs would cost 400,000 US jobs
- Car-centric Saudi to open first part of Riyadh Metro
- Brussels, not Paris, will decide EU-Mercosur trade deal: Lula
- Faeces, vomit offer clues to how dinosaurs rose to rule Earth
- Ruby slippers from 'The Wizard of Oz' up for auction
- Spain factory explosion kills three, injures seven
- US Fed's favored inflation gauge ticks up in October
- Defence lawyers plead to judges in French mass rape trial
- US says China releases three 'wrongfully detained' Americans
- New clashes in Mozambique as two reported killed
- Romania officials to meet over 'cyber risks' to elections
- Chelsea visit next stop in Heidenheim's 'unthinkable' rise
- Former England prop Marler announces retirement from rugby
- Kumara gives Sri Lanka edge on rain-hit day against South Africa
- Namibia votes with ruling party facing toughest race yet
- Spurs goalkeeper Vicario out for 'months' with broken ankle
- Moscow expels German journalists, Berlin denies closing Russia TV bureau
- Spain govt defends flood response and offers new aid
- France says Netanyahu has 'immunity' from ICC warrants
- Nigerian state visit signals shift in France's Africa strategy
- Stock markets waver as traders weigh Trump tariffs, inflation
- Tens of thousands in Lebanon head home as Israel-Hezbollah truce takes hold
- Opposition candidates killed in Tanzania local election
- Amorim eyes victory in first Man Utd home game to kickstart new era
- Fresh fury as Mozambique police mow down protester
- Defeat at Liverpool could end Man City title hopes, says Gundogan
- Indonesians vote in regional election seen as test for Prabowo
- Guardiola says no intent to 'make light' of self harm in post-match comments
- New EU commission gets green light to launch defence, economy push
- Opposition figures killed as Tanzania holds local election
- Taiwan Olympic boxing champion quits event after gender questions
- European stocks drop on Trump trade war worries
- Volkswagen to sell operations in China's Xinjiang
- FA probes referee David Coote over betting claim
- Serbia gripped by TV series about murder of prime minister
- Putin seeks to shore up ties on visit to 'friendly' Kazakhstan
- New EU commission pushes for defence and economy spending
- Plastic pollution talks must speed up, chair warns
- Pakistan web controls quash dissent and potential
- 1,000 Pakistan protesters arrested in pro-Khan capital march
- ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for Myanmar junta chief
- Philippine VP's bodyguards swapped out amid investigation
- EasyJet annual profit rises 40% on package holidays
- Ukraine sees influx of Western war tourists
- Greeks finally get Thessaloniki metro after two-decade wait
- New EU commission to get all clear with big push on defence and economy
- Thousands of Lebanese head home as Israel-Hezbollah truce takes hold
- Australia takes step to ban under 16s from social media
- Volkswagen says to sell operations in China's Xinjiang
Thousands in Israel protest sacking of defence minister
Thousands of Israelis protested against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's dismissal of his defence minister, demanding the government do everything in its power to bring home hostages held in Gaza.
The demonstration erupted soon after Netanyahu's office announced the sacking of Yoav Gallant on Tuesday following public differences over the war with Hamas.
The removal of Gallant -- a hawk on the war Hezbollah in Lebanon who also pushed for a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza -- coincided with the presidential election in the United States, Israel's top military backer.
Netanyahu and Gallant have frequently clashed over Israel's retaliatory military offensive against Hamas following the Palestinian militant group's deadly attack on Israel on October 7 last year.
"Over the past few months... trust has eroded. In light of this, I decided today to end the term of the defence minister," Netanyahu's office said, adding that foreign minister Israel Katz would take his place.
Shortly afterwards, thousands of people took to the streets of commercial hub Tel Aviv, chanting slogans against Netanyahu and demanding the return of 97 hostages held in Gaza.
Protesters blocked traffic and lit fires, with some wearing "Bring them home now!" T-shirts referring to the hostages.
They held up signs with slogans such as "We deserve better leaders" and "Leaving no one behind!", and one protester wore handcuffs and a face mask with Netanyahu's likeness.
- 'Victory over our enemies' -
The reshuffle's timing comes at a critical juncture in the Gaza and Lebanon wars, with both Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon massively weakened.
Jonathan Rynhold of the political studies department at Bar-Ilan University said Netanyahu was feeling "emboldened because he is improving in the polls".
"He is also taking advantage of the fact that the US election is happening today... everyone's focus is elsewhere," he told AFP.
After his appointment, Katz vowed "victory over our enemies and to achieve the goals of the war", including "the destruction of Hamas in Gaza, the defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon" and the return of hostages.
Gideon Saar, a minister without portfolio, was appointed to replace Katz as foreign minister.
After being fired, Gallant posted on X that Israel's security would remain his life's "mission".
He called on the government to bring home the hostages in Gaza while they were "still alive" and insisted all Israelis of draft age must serve in the military -- a key issue that he and Netanyahu had disagreed on.
The sacked minister had been a key advocate for ultra-Orthodox Jews to be called up, but Netanyahu wanted their exemption to continue, fearing their conscription could break up his far-right coalition government.
Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed 43,391 people in Gaza, a majority of them civilians, according to Gaza health ministry figures which the United Nations considers to be reliable.
Hamas also seized 251 hostages in their attack, of whom Israel believes 63 people including two children are still alive in Gaza.
After Gallant's dismissal, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group urged Katz "to prioritise a hostage deal... to secure the immediate release of all hostages".
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri welcomed the sacking of Gallant, who especially in the early months of the war was seen as a key architect of the fight against the militant group.
"Netanyahu dismissed Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant, who was bragging that he would eliminate Hamas. Today, we say to them that Gallant is gone, but Hamas remains, and will remain, God willing," Abu Zuhri said.
- 'Matter of time' -
Aviv Bushinsky, a political commentator and former Netanyahu chief of staff, said Gallant's dismissal was just "a matter of time".
"I cannot recall an incident when Israel Katz was in opposition to Netanyahu," he said.
"Besides, Netanyahu thinks he can run the show himself."
Meanwhile, on the ground, the wars in Gaza and Lebanon showed no sign of abating.
Authorities in Lebanon reported raids across the country, and the toll from a strike on Tuesday in the town of Barja, south of Beirut, rose to 20.
Hezbollah on Tuesday claimed it had fired rockets and drones into northern Israel, and also targeted Israeli troops near the border inside Lebanon.
Tuesday's fighting came more than a month into the Hezbollah-Israel war which has left at least 1,990 dead in Lebanon since September 23, according to an AFP tally of health ministry figures.
Palestinians in Gaza told AFP that whoever wins the US presidential election must end the conflict in the territory.
"We are hanging by a thread, and like every other people in the world, we are looking for someone who can stop the war," said Ayman al-Omreiti, 45, in Gaza City.
burs/ser/dv
H.Seidel--BTB