Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant officially stepped down Friday in a ceremony that replaced him with Israel Katz, the former foreign minister, just three days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Gallant, sparking protests.Many in Israel view Gallant as the sole moderate voice in a far-right government, and see his removal as a sign that Netanyahu has lost interest in returning hostages still held in Gaza. Katz currently serves as foreign minister and is a longtime Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister.Also Friday, the Israeli military body handling aid to Gaza said it was preparing to open a new aid crossing into Gaza, without specifying when. The Israeli military says it will allow 300 truckloads of humanitarian aid supplied by the United Arab Emirates to enter the Gaza Strip in the coming days. That’s less than the 350 trucks per day that the United States said it wants to see enter the war-ravaged territory.The Israel-Hamas war began after militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023…

Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant has officially stepped down in a ceremony that replaced him with Israel Katz, the former foreign minister, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Gallant earlier this week.