Katz, the new Israel Defence Minister, is described as a long-time ally and loyalist of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Gideon Saar is an Israeli politician currently serving as a member of the Knesset for New Hope. He worked as an aide to the Attorney General between 1995 and 1997. He was appointed Cabinet Secretary in 1999 and again in 2001.

Israel Katz, formerly Israel's foreign minister, has been appointed defence minister after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sacked Yoav Gallant from the post. Netanyahu said he no longer had trust in Gallant's management of Israel's military operations,

There have been regular rumours that he was on the way out but he refused to go, remaining a thorn in Netanyahu's side as he argued for a hostage deal in Gaza and clashed with other parties in the coalition over drafting members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community into the military.