A Hebrew newspaper said on Sunday that the dispute had escalated between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant, noting that there were old differences between them, but the war had deepened them.

This came the day after Netanyahu announced, on Saturday evening, that he had proposed to the Defense Minister to hold a joint press conference, but the latter “chose what he chose,” in reference to his refusal in what appeared to be “differences between them.”

Maariv newspaper added, "The Prime Minister preferred that the members of the War Council (Gallant and Minister Benny Gantz) not participate in the major achievement he talked about, which is the return of the kidnapped people (from Gaza)."

It continued that Gallant had indeed been summoned to the meeting, but it happened at the same time that the Office of the Secretary of Defense decided to hold its own press conference and had sent an invitation to the media.

The newspaper said, "The past weeks were difficult and full of complex questions, and Netanyahu relied on the permanent support team that appeared every night: Defense Minister Gallant and Minister Gantz."

It considered that "the lasting general impression was that the two senior ministers were here to give support, weight and legitimacy to the main spokesman, Netanyahu."

It added, "But this time (yesterday) the content was different. The Prime Minister did not only come to deliver messages and answer difficult questions. Rather, he had good news, which is the first major achievement since the miserable failure on October 7."

On that day, in response to “daily Israeli attacks against the Palestinian people and their sanctities,” the Hamas movement launched an attack against settlements in the Gaza Strip, killing 1,200 Israelis, wounding 5,431, and capturing about 239, exchanging dozens of them during a humanitarian truce with Israel, which is holding in its prisons about 7,800 Palestinians, including children and women.

Since October 7, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, which included a 7-day truce, which left 15,207 Palestinians dead and 40,652 wounded, in addition to massive destruction of infrastructure and an “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe,” according to official Palestinian and UN sources. .

The newspaper explained that this achievement was “the release of 110 hostages from Gaza as part of the deal (with Hamas). This time, Netanyahu preferred not to share this major achievement with the members of the military cabinet, so the two (Galant and Gantz) were not invited.”

According to the newspaper, “Netanyahu’s office claimed that Gallant had already been invited and the invitation had been delivered to his office.”

It believed that "the difference between the accounts of the two offices indicates the gap that exists between Netanyahu and Gallant. The gap that arose long before October 7, and is growing."

Last October, Netanyahu, in a tweet, held the army and intelligence services responsible for failing to anticipate the Hamas attack on the seventh of that month, but he later deleted the tweet and apologized for the matter, under the weight of criticism from inside and outside the government.

Days before that, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper revealed that there were disagreements between Netanyahu and senior army officials regarding assessments, plans and decisions.

Regarding the beginning of the disputes between Netanyahu and Gallant, the newspaper said that the rift between them “arose during (the passing of the government’s plan for the so-called) legal reform. Netanyahu and his entourage suspected Gallant (as an opponent of the plan), and allegations emerged in discussions in the circle closest to the Prime Minister that the Minister of Defense stands with the army and the opposition more than once.”.

It continued: “Since that time, the situation has worsened, shortly before the events of October 7... Today, no one can predict the future, neither on the battlefield, nor in the political sphere. It is possible that the Minister of Defense will retain his position the next day (after the war), and it is possible that “none of the country’s leaders will survive the October 7 disaster?”

There are expectations in Israel that upcoming investigations into responsibility for the failure to confront the events of October 7 will overthrow the Netanyahu government, which has been in power for about a year, and lead to early elections.

The newspaper concluded, "Until the situation becomes clear and the next day comes, two senior officials wearing black will continue their strange duality: leading the war while facing a difficult internal conflict."

On March 26, 2023, Netanyahu’s office announced Gallant’s dismissal from his position; on the background of the latter’s statements in which he called for stopping the judicial amendments proposed by the government, which led to massive demonstrations in the country on the grounds that they limit the powers of the Supreme Court to monitor the executive and legislative branches.

But Netanyahu backed down, and announced on April 10 that Gallant would be retained in his position.