Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved the nation’s war cabinet after the departure of his chief rival, Benny Gantz.

The six-member war cabinet will be replaced by a "kitchen cabinet" that Netanyahu can consult for guidance on the conflict in Gaza.

Netanyahu faced pressure from far-right ministers in his coalition who wished to join the war cabinet, which might have shifted Israeli politics further to the extreme right.

What was the Israeli war cabinet?

The war cabinet was established on October 11, following Israel’s declaration of war on Gaza in response to an attack by Hamas on October 7.

This smaller group was a subset of the security cabinet, which itself was part of the broader coalition cabinet. It included Netanyahu, Gantz, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and three observers: government ministers Aryeh Deri and Gadi Eisenkot, and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

The purpose of the war cabinet was to rapidly make decisions regarding the war’s conduct and then seek approval from the broader cabinet.

Did the war cabinet run smoothly?

Not entirely.

Reports indicated frequent disagreements and conflicts within the group. In January, Haaretz reported that opposition leader Yair Lapid mentioned that Gallant and Netanyahu had ceased communication, turning war cabinet meetings into chaotic sessions of score-settling.

Why was it scrapped?

On June 9, Gantz and observer Eisenkot, both from the National Unity Party, exited the war cabinet due to the absence of a long-term plan for Gaza beyond the current offensive.

Netanyahu reportedly informed the security cabinet that “There is no more war cabinet," after Gantz’s departure nullified the coalition agreement requiring its existence.

Gantz’s exit intensified pressure from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who were pushing to join the inner war cabinet.

In a letter to Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir criticized the war’s secretive handling through limited forums controlled exclusively to avoid challenging alternate viewpoints.

Why are Ben-Gvir and Smotrich so problematic?

Ben-Gvir and Smotrich represent ultra-Orthodox, hard-right factions in Israeli politics and are associated with the settler movement, which seeks to develop on Palestinian lands as per international law.

They had threatened to resign if Israel didn’t attack Rafah and opposed a ceasefire backed by the US unless Hamas was completely destroyed.

They promote the establishment of illegal settlements in Gaza, contradicting Israel’s official war policy, and carry controversial reputations internationally, affecting their potential roles in any cabinet.

Can’t Netanyahu just ignore them?

Not effectively.

Their parties hold a combined 14 seats in the Knesset, making their withdrawal likely to collapse the coalition and end Netanyahu’s term in office.

What now?

The war cabinet’s influence on conflict management ended with Gantz’s exit, rendering its formal dissolution relatively inconsequential.

Netanyahu plans to replace it with a smaller kitchen cabinet for sensitive discussions and consultations, blocking Smotrich and Ben-Gvir’s attempts to join.

The new body, according to Yedioth Ahronoth, will include Gallant, Dermer, and National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi.