Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant after months of clashes over domestic politics and Israel’s war efforts. In a recorded statement Tuesday evening, Netanyahu said that “trust between me and the minister of defense has cracked.

Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival until world’s attention was focused on the U.S. presidential election.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has replaced his popular defense minister, Yoav Gallant, with Israel Katz, who was the foreign minister. The surprise move has sparked protests across Israel.