Israel appoints new foreign minister

The Israeli government on Sunday approved the appointment of a new foreign minister to replace Eli Cohen, a statement said, in a pre-arranged reshuffle.

Israel Katz, the current energy minister, will swap positions with Cohen as part of the ministerial rotation that is subject to parliamentary approval.

"The government has now approved appointing Eli Cohen to the position of minister of energy and infrastructure... and to appoint Israel Katz to the position of minister of foreign affairs," the statement said.

Cohen will continue to serve as a member of the security cabinet, a government decision that is also subject to parliamentary approval, it added.

The reshuffle comes more than two months after war broke out between Israel and Gaza , triggered by the militants' unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7.

In an interview on Israeli radio on Sunday, Cohen acknowledged "the government bears responsibility" for having failed to anticipate the Hamas attack and said an independent commission of inquiry should be established at the end of the war.