Israeli Democratic Party leader Yair Golan has criticised the decision of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fire defence minister Yoav Gallant, replacing him with former top diplomat Israel Katz.

Hundreds of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening to protest against the sacking of Gallant, an AFP journalist reported.

A statement from Netanyahu's office said earlier, "Over the past few months... trust has eroded. In light of this, I decided today to end the term of the defence minister."

Gideon Sa'ar was in turn appointed to replace Katz as foreign minister.

After his sacking, Gallant posted on X/Twitter that Israel's security would remain his life's "mission".

This response is word-for-word what Gallant said when he was previously fired in March 2023.

'Act of madness'

Israeli National Unity headBenny Gantz also responded to the development, saying, "politics at the expense of national security."

"The dismissal of Gallant in the middle of a war is an act of madness," opposition leader and Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid said in a statement on X.

"Netanyahu is sacrificing Israel's security and IDF soldiers for despicable political survival. The full-right government prefers draft dodgers over those who serve," he continued.

"I call on Yesh Atid members and all Zionist patriots to take to the streets tonight in protest," he added.