Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu dissolves his inner war cabinet amid Gaza conflict

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved the six-member war cabinet, an Israeli official said on Monday, according to Reuters. This decision came after Benny Gantz left the government.

Netanyahu will now consult about the Gaza war with a smaller group of ministers, including Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who were part of the war cabinet, according to Reuters report.

Nationalist-religious coalition partners Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had demanded to be included in the war cabinet. This inclusion could have caused more tension with international partners, including the United States.

The war cabinet was initially formed when Gantz joined Netanyahu in a national unity government at the start of the war in October.

It also included Gantz's partner Gadi Eisenkot and Aryeh Deri, head of the religious party Shas, as observers. Gantz and Eisenkot both left the government last week, citing Netanyahu's lack of a clear strategy for the Gaza war.