Yoav Gallant was a moderating force in the Netanyahu government and had a strong relationship with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. His firing comes as Israel wages war in Gaza, Lebanon, and on multiple other fronts.

Leading Israeli opposition lawmakers called for protests after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. The citizens of Israel should go on strike, said Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats,

Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival until world’s attention was focused on the U.S. presidential election.