Israel establishes an emergency government and intensifies its offensive in Gaza

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz stated Wednesday that Israel has constituted an emergency government and war management cabinet after Hamas' surprise border strikes that killed at least 1,200 people and injured hundreds.

Gantz, a former defense minister, will join Netanyahu and Gallant in a “war management cabinet.”

According to the proclamation, the government would not approve legislation or make decisions unrelated to the war.

Israel has increased its bombardment in Gaza after Hamas' October 7 attack, when armed terrorists raided houses, rampaged through farms and villages, and took 150 hostages back to Gaza.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, 1,055 Palestinians have died in Gaza since Israel began airstrikes Saturday, including hundreds of children, women, and families. Further 5,184 injuries were reported.

Israel has declared a “complete siege” on the enclave, cutting off electricity, food, water, and gasoline.

Nearby, the rural settlement Be'eri was among the worst-hit, with over 100 bodies recovered and eyewitnesses described gunmen entering into homes and murdering inhabitants.

Israeli jets have bombed Gaza, Hamas' densely populated coastal strip, hundreds of times in punishment for the atrocities, destroying houses and communities and trapping inhabitants without food or power.

Joe Biden said Tuesday that the US would give Israel the tools it needs to defend itself and increase military aid.

Ammunition and interceptors for Iron Dome are included. Israel received its first US weapons since Hamas' strike late Tuesday evening, according to the IDF.