JERUSALEM -UNS/AFP: Israel on Wednesday kept up its bombardment of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, as Benjamin Netanyahu and a political rival announced an emergency government for the duration of the current conflict, which has already claimed thousands of lives.
The Israeli PM and centrist Benny Gantz, a former defence minister, agreed to form a government and war cabinet as both put aside bitter political divisions as Tel Aviv prepares to unleash a brutal ground assault that would reduce Gaza to a “tent city”, according to claims by Israeli officials.
The three-member “war cabinet” would include Netanyahu, Gantz and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
Although it appears to be readying for a ground invasion of Gaza, Israel still faces the threat of a multi-front war after also coming under rocket attack from groups in neighbouring Lebanon and Syria.
At the same time, concern is mounting over the worsening humanitarian crisis in war-torn Gaza, where Israel had levelled over 1,000 buildings and imposed a total siege, cutting off water, food and energy supplies for 2.3 million people.
Gaza officials have reported more than 1,100 people killed and over 5,000 wounded in Israel’s campaign of air and artillery strikes on the crowded Palestinian enclave, while the only power plant in the strip has shut down after it ran out of fuel on Wednesday.
