Israel's Council of Ministers has approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request to dismiss the head of the Internal Security Service (Shin Bet), Ronen Bar.
The prime minister's decision, approved by the Council of Ministers meeting on Thursday night, came after the service received instructions from the Israeli Prosecutor's Office to investigate alleged links between officials in the prime minister's office and Qatar, a case known as "Qatargate".
Netanyahu has argued that his decision to dismiss Bar was made after he lost confidence in the Shin Bet director, and accused Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of "dangerous treason" and "attempting to usurp the government" after she spoke out against the legality of the government's dismissal.
This is the first time in Israeli history that a government has dismissed the head of the Shin Bet.
According to Israeli media, citing a statement from the prime minister's office, the decision to dismiss Bar was approved unanimously.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara attended the cabinet meeting, while Bar was absent.
Bar will step down on April 10 or earlier if a new Shin Bet chief is appointed by then, the Jerusalem Post reports.
The head of the Internal Security Service still had 18 months left on his term.
Bar responded this week to Netanyahu's attempt to dismiss him with a lengthy statement in which he stressed that "the duty of trust of the Shin Bet director is, first and foremost, to the citizens of Israel."
"The expectation of personal loyalty from the prime minister is fundamentally wrong and directly contrary to Shin Bet law," he said.
Ahead of the cabinet vote on Bar's dismissal, hundreds of Israelis protested outside the prime minister's office in Jerusalem.
During the day, Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed his "deep concern" over the resumption of attacks in the Gaza Strip and the consequences of these in the return of hostages held there, challenging Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a video posted on social media, Herzog called on political leaders to "carefully consider each measure and assess whether it strengthens national resilience, in particular whether it contributes to the war effort and the return of hostages" held by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza.
"It is inconceivable to send our sons to the front lines and, at the same time, promote controversial initiatives that (...) create deep divisions within our nation," he added.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has already announced a joint request by opposition parties to the Supreme Court to block the dismissal of the Shin Bet director.
Lapid made clear that the attempt to fire Bar "is motivated by one reason only: the 'Qatargate' investigation."
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