Israel forms a wartime unity government, but its scope is unclear

Opposition leader Benny Gantz has joined Netanyahu in a small war Cabinet, adding military experience and maybe a political lifeline

Israeli troops gather outside Gaza
Israeli troops gather outside Gaza
(Image credit: Alexi J. Rosenfeld / Getty Images)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, a main opposition leader with significant military leadership experience, announced Wednesday night they had joined together to form a wartime Cabinet to manage Israel's fight against Hamas. "Every Hamas member is a dead man," Netanyahu said in a nationally televised speech. "It will be crushed and eliminated."

The emergency "war management Cabinet" also includes Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a member of Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party. The war Cabinet is set to dissolve as soon as the war is over, per The New York Times.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.