Yoav Gallant

Yoav Gallant was born in 1958 in Jaffa

Gallant was born in Jaffa in 1958 to Michael and Fruma Gallant. His mother was a Holocaust survivor who sailed on the Exodus, and his father fought as a partisan and later took part in Operation Yoav, for which his son was named. The family moved to Givatayim, where he attended high school, and he later earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Haifa.

He joined the naval commando unit Shayetet 13 and later served on missile boats. He commanded Shayetet 13, the Gaza Division and the Idan armored formation, and became a major general in 2002 as military secretary to the prime minister. From 2005 he headed Southern Command, including during Operation Cast Lead.

In 2010 the government approved him as the next chief of staff. In 2011 the appointment was canceled after allegations that he had taken public land near his home in Amikam.

He entered politics with Kulanu in 2015, was elected to the Knesset and became minister of construction. He moved to Likud, then served as minister of immigration and absorption and minister of education. He became minister of defense in 2022.

Netanyahu announced his dismissal in November 2024. That month the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him over alleged crimes in the Gaza war, and he left the Knesset in January 2025.