The IDF soldier fresh from Gaza who is turning his anger on Netanyahu

Last Monday, IDF soldier Zur had been facing down Hamas in the terrifying cauldron of the Gaza Strip. Twenty-four hours later, he hit the streets of Tel Aviv to turn his anger on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Like many others in Israel, Zur’s fury had been prompted by Netanyahu’s decision to fire his defence minister, Yoav Gallant.

The 31-year-old sommelier, who has been fighting with the IDF for over a year, believes Israel’s leaders who are more preoccupied with their own political survival than getting the hostages out and, at the same time, have misguidedly removed military experts from the top table.

Zur said: “When I heard about Gallant, it made me furious. Is Netanyahu too busy keeping his coalition instead of ending this war?”

For Zur and other protesters, Gallant’s dismissal was emblematic of deep flaws in Israel’s leadership. “Gallant tried his best for Israel’s security and not for his own seat, he wasn’t perfect, but he did his best.”

Some fear that political appointments based on loyalty rather than competence are hampering Israel’s efforts in security, diplomacy and achieving a hostage deal.

“I don’t even know where to start with [Israel] Katz,” said Zur about Netanyahu’s new defence minister. “It is like someone made me, a sommelier, a financial adviser to the prime minister. Katz doesn’t understand these issues.”

Gallant said he was fired because of a disagreement with Netanyahu on three issues: Strictly Orthodox military service, the abandonment of hostages in Gaza and the need for an official inquiry into the October 7 attack.

Months before the start of the war, Netanyahu had fired Gallant over political differences, before reinstating him following public outcry. But on Tuesday the Israeli PM said: “In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and the minister of defence”.

Netanyahu said “during the last months this trust cracked” and “significant gaps were discovered between me and Gallant in the management of the campaign”.

Following his sacking, Gallant posted on social media that the “security of the state of Israel was and will always remain the mission of my life”.

In the wake of the news, thousands of protesters gathered on the streets of Tel Aviv, called for Netanyahu to resign and demanded the new defence minister prioritise a hostage deal.

On active duty in Gaza on Monday, when Zur heard news of Gallant’s sacking on Tuesday, he joined throngs of protesters lighting fires, blocking the Ayalon highway and chanting “democracy or revolution”.

For him, the issue of Charedi conscription is personal. “It’s time the Charedim served. For so many years, we carried everything on our back, but the weight has become too heavy.”

His sentiment is shared by many who came out to protest.

The day before his sacking, Gallant issued 7,000 new draft orders for Charedi men, citing “urgent wartime needs,” but it was a sticking point in Netanyahu’s coalition, which relies on the support of two Orthodox parties.

Called to duty on October 7, Zur has fought on multiple fronts. His service is driven by a duty to defend citizens and bring back the hostages. “To serve on the front line is not about believing in the government,” Zur said. “We do it because we have hostages in Gaza and because Israelis in the north cannot go back to their homes. That’s why we serve.”

Many of his grievances centre on the government’s apparent reluctance to secure the release of hostages. Zur reckons political leaders are dragging their feet. He said: “The prime minister does what he wants to keep his seat.”

There is a stark difference, he added, between the unity of the soldiers on the front line and the divisive rhetoric coming from the government. “On the front line, you don’t see the animosity you see in politics.

“On the front line, you don’t have time for bulls**t — you need to do the job. Everyone serves side by side. Politicians want to paint it as two sides — right and left — but most people understand and want the same things.”

He observes that “there are cabinet members and parliamentarians who are against the [hostage] deal because they want to keep the Philadelphi Route, but [Itamar] Ben-Gvir does not care about what is right.

“This government is a very dangerous one. I am most concerned by the ministers; they do not think rationally.”

The IDF soldier thinks more pressure for a deal could expedite the release of the hostages. “If they [the government] wanted, they could do more to bring them back home,” he said. “We’re not just sitting here waiting. There’s still a lot of fighting and we need to do more than just wait.”

As the conflict drags on, Zur worries about the long-term strain on Israeli society. “This war cannot continue forever,” he said. “We need to find a way to stop it; we can’t go to war for three or four years. This is not a reasonable life.”

He is happy with the support he has received from the army, particularly when it comes to dealing with the trauma he has witnessed on the front line: “The army is handling the trauma well.

“I don’t have a problem with the army, it does what it needs to do, the problem is the government does not give us the tools.”

He hopes the government will listen to the protesters and, despite his anger, is committed to the war and will return to the battlefield when his leave ends.