TEL AVIV — Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired the head of the nation's security service over its failure to anticipate the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas.

The Israeli cabinet met on Thursday evening to formally approve the early dismissal of Ronen Bar, who was appointed in October 2021 for a five-year term as the Shin Bet's chief.

Netanyahu announced his intention to sack Bar in a video statement on Sunday, citing an "ongoing distrust" between the two men which he said had "grown over time".

The move sparked outrage and further inflamed anti-government demonstrations in Jerusalem, which saw thousands of Israelis join forces with protestors opposing Israel's renewed assault on Gaza.

Since Tuesday, Israel has launched an intense wave of attacks on what it said were Hamas targets in the Palestinian territory, bringing an end to the fragile truce that had mostly held for two months.

The Shin Bet is Israel's domestic intelligence agency and plays a key role in the war. Its activities and membership are closely-held state secrets.

Bar has characterised the decision to oust him as politically motivated.

Israel's Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara — a vocal critic of Netanyahu who is herself facing dismissal proceedings — argued that Bar could not be fired until the legality of the move had been assessed.

A letter sent to sent by Netanyahu to members of his government ahead of the meeting referenced a "persistent loss of professional and personal trust" between the prime minister and Bar, and proposed his term end on 20 April.

"The loss of professional trust has been consolidated during the war, beyond the operational failure of 7 October [2023], and in particular in recent months," it said, referring to the Hamas attacks on Israel which sparked the Israel-Gaza war.

About 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage during the attacks. Israel responded with a massive military offensive, which has killed more than 48,500 Palestinians, the Hamas-run health ministry says. — BBC