UPDATED AT 4:30 P.M. EDT

Prime Minister Netanyahu and the chairman of the National Unity party in Israel, Benny Gantz, will now be working together in what is being called a united government. The two reached an agreement to form the emergency government some five days into Hamas’s war against the Jewish state.

“This is not a political alliance, it’s an alliance of fate,” Mr. Gantz said shortly after Mr. Netanyahu announced the establishment of a “emergency government” Wednesday evening. He made a point that though both he and another member of his party, Gadi Eizenkot, are former top military generals, decisions on the war would be led by another former general, the current defense minister, Yoav Gallant  

The new government, a significant marker of the seriousness of the developing conflict, is creating a small war cabinet in which Messrs. Netanyahu and Gantz, will join Mr. Gallant. The cabinet will open a spot for the leader of the opposition, Yair Lapid, if he decides he would like to enter on behalf of his party, Yesh Atid. Mr  Gantz said he expected “other elements” to join the new government  

Four members of Knesset from the National Unity party — Gadi Eisenkot, Gideon Sa’ar, Hili Tropper, and Yifat Shasha-Biton — will join the war cabinet without having any specific portfolios. Mr. Eisenkot was chief of staff between 2015 and 2019. Mr. Sa’ar was a previous justice minister, Mr. Tropper is former minister of culture, and Ms. Sasha-Biton serves as the minister of education. 

Ms. Sasha-Biton and Mr. Tropper will be observers to the cabinet, as will the strategic affairs minister, Ron Dermer. Five members of Mr. Gantz’s National Unity party will assume ministerial status in the current government without assigned portfolios.

Messrs. Netanyahu and Gantz made a joint statement expressing that, during the war, no bills or government decisions unrelated to the conflict will be pursued. All senior appointments, including the Bank of Israel governor, will be automatically extended.

Negotiations between Messrs. Netanyahu and Gantz have been under way, with their initial meeting postponed due to ongoing discussions in the security cabinet. Mr. Gantz, who is Israel’s former defense minister and chief of staff, opened the idea for a unity government some three days ago, shortly after the initial Hamas massacre took place in the south of the country. It was disclosed that Mr. Netanyahu had insisted on coordinating with coalition heads before engaging with Mr. Gantz. 

Since the initial Hamas invasion took place, at least 1,200 Israelis have been killed, 2,800 have been injured, and 5,000 rockets have been launched at Israel. The unity government is set to be sworn in Wednesday evening. 

The existing coalition generally expressed strong support for the creation of a war cabinet, with only the national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, voicing opposition during the meeting at IDF headquarters Tuesday. Some hours later, though, he posted on his X account: “Congratulations on the unity, now we have to win.”

With Associated Press