Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, opposition leader and former defense minister, announced Wednesday the formation of an emergency unity government and a war cabinet.
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This way Gantz's centrist National Unity party sits alongside Netanyahu's ultra-nationalist-religious coalition government.
A joint statement announced the agreement with a three-member war cabinet consisting of Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Gantz, also head of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). For his part, National Unity lawmaker Gadi Eizenkot, also a former IDF chief, will act as an observer.
Netanyahu pledged not to introduce any bills unrelated to the ongoing conflict with the ruling Hamas faction in Gaza.
This comes five days after Tel Aviv's escalation against the Gaza Strip, which has left 1,100 Palestinians dead and 5,339 injured. Since the start of the new attacks, Israel has imposed a total siege preventing the entry of food, water, fuel and electricity.
The death toll in Israel from Saturday's attack by the Palestinian resistance movement today exceeded 1,200, while the number of injured hovers around 2,900.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 260,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Gaza Strip in the face of heavy aerial, ground and sea bombardment.
OCHA noted that the recent number of internally displaced persons in the region represents the highest figure since the 50-day escalation of hostilities in 2014.
The UN office citing Palestinian officials also noted that Israeli attacks and shelling have so far destroyed more than 1,000 homes and 560 houses have been rendered uninhabitable due to damage.