As strikes devastate Gaza, Israel forms unity govt to oversee war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a leading opposition figure on Wednesday created a wartime cabinet to oversee the fight against Hamas militants after their stunning weekend attack. In the sealed-off Gaza Strip ruled by Hamas, Palestinians struggled to find safety as Israeli bombardment demolished entire neighbourhoods and the territory's only power plant ran out of fuel.

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The new war-time cabinet will consist of Netanyahu, Benny Gantz-a senior opposition figure and former defence minister and current defence minister Yoav Gallant, a statement released by Gantz said. The cabinet will focus only on issues of the war. It appeared that the rest of Netanyahu's existing government partners, a collection of farright and ultra-Orthodox parties, would remain in place to handle other issues.

The unusual arrangement cobbles together a degree of unity after years of bitterly divisive politics, as the military appears increasingly likely to launch a ground offensive into Gaza. The government is under intense public pressure to topple Hamas, after its militants stormed through the border fence on Saturday and gunned down hundreds of Israelis in their homes, on the streets and at an outdoor music festival.

Israel's chief opposition leader, Yair Lapid, was invited to join to new cabinet but did not immediately respond to the offer.

The war has already claimed at least 2,200 lives on both sides, and a ground offensive in Gaza is likely to dramatically hike casualties.

Already, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza smashed entire city blocks to rubble in the tiny coastal enclave and left unknown numbers of bodies beneath mounds of debris.