Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a leading Opposition figure on Wednesday created a war-time 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.

The new 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 far-Right and ultra-Orthodox parties, would remain in place to handle other issues.