Israel Katz has been appointed Defense Minister and Gideon Sa'ar as Foreign Minister, causing uproar and protests among opposition members. The Knesset approved the new appointments in a rare Thursday Plenum, with insults and attacks exchanged during the session. Social media also saw a storm of criticism and protests against the appointments. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed gratitude to outgoing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and looked forward to working with Israel's next Minister of Defense.