A TOP opposition Israeli politician says he has reached an agreement to enter a wartime unity government with right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Former defence minister and military chief of staff Benny Gantz released a joint statement along with Mr Netanyahu which said that they would form a five-member “war-management” Cabinet consisting of Mr Netanyahu, Mr Gantz, current Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and two other top officials serving as “observer” members.

It said that the government would not pass any legislation or decisions that are not connected to the war as long as the fighting continues. 

It was not immediately clear what would happen to Mr Netanyahu’s existing government partners, a collection of far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties.

This comes as Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip continued to be subjected to an endless barrage of missile strikes by the Israelis.

Hospitals ran low on supplies and a power blackout was expected within hours, deepening the misery of a war sparked by a stunning and deadly assault by Hamas resistance fighters.

Israel has vowed a collective punishment against the Palestinians regardless of whether they are affiliated to Hamas, the group responsible for Saturday’s surprise attack.

Since then, resistance fighters have continued to fire rockets at Israel targets, including a heavy barrage at the southern town of Ashkelon on Wednesday.

The Israeli military said that more than 1,200 people have been killed in Israel. In Gaza at least 1,055 people have been killed, according to authorities there. Thousands have been wounded on both sides.

Israel stopped the entry of food, water, fuel and medicine into the 25-mile strip of land wedged among Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea that is home to 2.3 million Palestinians. 

There are reports that Gaza’s sole power plant has run out of fuel, leaving the territory without electricity after Israel cut off supplies. 

The United Nations World Health Organisation said that supplies it had pre-positioned for seven hospitals have already run out amid the flood of wounded. 

Doctors Without Borders in Gaza head Matthias Kannes said today: “We consumed three weeks worth of emergency stock in three days, partly due to 50 patients coming in at once.”

Israel has mobilised 360,000 reservists and appears increasingly likely to launch a ground offensive into Gaza.

In a sign that the collective punishment towards the Palestinians is set to continue, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant told troops: “I have removed every restriction — we will eliminate anyone who fights us, and use every measure at our disposal.”