Israel's war cabinet being dissolved

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the end of the war cabinet in a meeting with the political-security cabinet.

The PM said the Israeli war cabinet had been established as part of an agreement in which the moderate politician Benny Gantz and his national unity party joined an emergency coalition last year.

With Gantz having resigned a week ago, Netanyahu reportedly told ministers, the war cabinet was no longer needed.

Gantz, one of the members of the war cabinet, had recently quit the coalition along with Gadi Eisenkot, one of the three observers in the body.

Netanyahu is now expected to hold consultations about the Gaza war with a small group of ministers, including the defence minister, Yoav Gallant, and the strategic affairs minister, Ron Dermer, who had been in the war cabinet.