Netanyahu fires his national security advisor, Tzachi Hanegbi news

Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi announced today, Tuesday, that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – wanted by international justice – has dismissed him from his position, in an immediate step that comes in light of mounting internal criticism regarding the government’s management of the security file after the Al-Aqsa flood on October 7, 2023.

Hanegbi said, in a statement carried by Agence France-Presse, that “Prime Minister Netanyahu informed me today of his intention to appoint a new national security advisor,” adding that “the horrific failure on October 7, of which I was a part, must be the subject of an in-depth investigation to draw lessons and restore shaky confidence.”

The dismissal came two years after the Al-Aqsa flood, while Netanyahu’s government has not yet formed a “national investigation committee” to determine the reasons for the security failure, amid accusations from the opposition that the prime minister is trying to prevent the establishment of such a body.

Netanyahu’s office issued a statement in which he thanked Hanegbi for “his service as National Security Advisor in the last three years,” wishing him “success in his future career.”

Hanegbi, a former representative of the Likud Party and a former minister in multiple governments, is considered close to Netanyahu, and has held his current position since the beginning of 2023.

This dismissal comes after a series of changes made by Netanyahu in the security and military institutions, including Defense Minister Yoav Galant and Shin Bet commander Ronen Bar, against the backdrop of deep disagreements over the management of the war and the Palestinian file.

It is noteworthy that a ceasefire has been in effect in the Gaza Strip for less than two weeks, under an agreement sponsored by US President Donald Trump in the city of Sharm El-Sheikh, with Egyptian and Qatari mediation, amid international calls to establish it permanently and begin the reconstruction phase.