Netanyahu sacks top security adviser amid rift over Gaza war strategy

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, has dismissed his national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, ending months of speculation over growing tensions at the top of Israel’s wartime leadership.

Hanegbi announced his removal in a statement on Tuesday evening, saying Netanyahu had informed him “of his intention to appoint a new head of the National Security Council.”

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“In light of this, my term as national security adviser and head of the National Security Council ends today,” Hanegbi said.

Shortly afterwards, the prime minister’s office confirmed that Gil Reich, currently the deputy head of the National Security Council, will take over as acting head.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanks Tzachi Hanegbi for his service as head of the National Security Council for the past three years, and wishes him great success in his future endeavours and good health,” the statement read.

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The announcement comes amid reports of deep disagreements between the two men over Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza. According to Al Jazeera, Israeli media had long speculated about Hanegbi’s departure, citing friction over his opposition to a full military takeover of Gaza City and his preference for pursuing a partial deal with Hamas.

In his farewell statement, Hanegbi called for a “thorough investigation” into the security and intelligence failures that allowed Hamas’s October 7 2023 assault on southern Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed.

“The terrible failure … must be thoroughly investigated to ensure that the appropriate lessons are learned and to help restore the trust that has been shattered,” he wrote, adding that he shares responsibility for the events leading up to the attack.

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Netanyahu’s government has yet to establish an independent inquiry into the disaster, despite growing pressure from the opposition and sections of the public. Critics accuse the prime minister of delaying the process to avoid political fallout.

Gadi Eisenkot, former Israeli army chief and opposition politician condemned Hanegbi’s dismissal, writing on X that it “is an expression of the continued evasion of responsibility by all Cabinet members and the Prime Minister of the October 7 debacle, in order to replace them with yes-men.”