Dutch foreign affairs minister Caspar Veldkamp has accused Israel of breaching human rights laws with its plan to permanently occupy the Gaza region. Veldkamp wrote in a letter to the European Union’s foreign policy chief,

Israel’s plan to capture more land in Gaza and relocate thousands of civilians has heightened a sense of hopelessness among Palestinians.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli plan to seize the Gaza Strip and expand the military operation has alarmed many in the region. Palestinians are exhausted and hopeless, pummeled by 19 months of heavy bombing. Families of Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza are terrified that the possibility of a ceasefire is slipping further away.