Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition has agreed to form an emergency unity government with opposition politicians following the deadliest Palestinian militant attack in Israeli history, his ruling Likud Party said on Tuesday.

The main opposition leaders, former Prime Minister Yair Lapid and former Defence Minister Benny Gantz, had agreed in principle to join a unity government following the surprise attack on Saturday by the Islamist group Hamas.

A spokesperson for Gantz’s National Unity party said she was optimistic there would be “good news” the party would unite with Netanyahu to form an emergency government but would not elaborate on the terms.

A meeting between Gantz and Netanyahu was scheduled for Tuesday but was delayed to Wednesday.

The agreement by political parties that are normally deeply hostile to one another underlines the scale of the crisis following the killing by Hamas gunmen of more than 1,000 Israelis at the weekend and the capture of more than 100 others.