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Sacked Israeli Defence Minister says Gaza hostages must be brought home while 'still alive'

Asia

By AFP | Nov 06, 2024

**Israeli protestors block a road in Tel Aviv after the dismissal of the defence minister, on November 5, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the militant Hamas group.** [AFP]

Sacked Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday called on the government to bring home the hostages in Gaza while they were "still alive" and insisted that all Israelis of draft age must serve in the military.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed Gallant over a breakdown in trust during the Gaza war against Hamas.

The two have frequently clashed over Israel's retaliatory military offensive against the Palestinian militant groups following its deadly attack on Israel on October 7 last year.

A former general, Gallant shaped the war against Hamas in Gaza but fell out of favour with Netanyahu over the future of the campaign.

Following his dismissal, the 65-year-old Gallant vowed to continue working to ensure Israel's security, saying on X it "was and will always remain the mission of my life".

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Gallant also stressed Israel's "moral and ethical commitment to bringing back our sons and daughters, those kidnapped by Hamas."

"We must do this as quickly as possible while they are still alive," he said in a televised statement on late on Tuesday.

"It is possible to bring back the hostages, but it involves painful compromises. The State of Israel will know how to withstand these compromises, and the IDF (military) will know how to secure them."

"We will not be able to bring back those who have already died among the hostages. There is no atonement for the abandonment of the hostages," Gallant said.

He also brought up the issue of military service, at a time when analysts say soldiers are exhausted after more than a year of fighting.

"Everyone must serve in the IDF and participate together in the mission of defending the State of Israel," he said.

"We must not allow a corrupt and flawed law to pass in the Knesset (Israel's parliament) that would exempt tens of thousands of citizens from bearing the burden."

Gallant was referring to members of the ultra-Orthodox community who were historically exempted from mandatory service until a Supreme Court decision in June.

On Monday, Gallant had issued 7,000 additional army draft orders for individuals from the ultra-Orthodox community.

The order came after a first round of 3,000 draft orders were sent out in July, sparking protests from the ultra-Orthodox community.

Since late September, Israel has broadened the focus of its war to Lebanon, where it intensified air strikes and later sent in ground troops, following nearly a year of tit-for-tat cross-border fire with Hezbollah.