Netanyahu forms unity government with Opposition leader as Hamas continues fighting outside Gaza

Israel formed an emergency unity government on Wednesday as it pounded Gaza to root out Hamas, deploying forces north of the densely populated Palestinian enclave where the militants said they were still fighting after their cross-border assault. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to form a war cabinet with former defence chief and centrist opposition party leader Benny Gantz and focus entirely on the conflict, a joint statement from Gantz’s National Unity party said. US President Joe Biden condemned the surprise weekend attack on parts of southern Israel by hundreds of Hamas gunmen as “sheer evil”, and he issued a warning seemingly aimed at its Iranian supporters. Israel’s death toll rose to 1,200 with over 2,700 wounded, its military said, from the militants’ hours-long rampage after breaching the border fence around Gaza on Saturday. The group’s armed wing, the Al Qassam Brigades, said it was still fighting inside Israel on Wednesday. Israel deployed tanks and armoured vehicles just north of Gaza where the clashes were reported but had no immediate comment on the Hamas claim. Retaliatory strikes on the blockaded enclave have killed 1,055 people and wounded 5,184, Palestinian officials say.