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.

A Houthi missile struck Ben-Gurion airport Sunday for the first time since the war began, briefly closing it just as Israel voted to expand Gaza operations.

The Israel Defense Forces will gradually enter tracts of northern and southern Gaza and stay long term to root out Hamas fighters and destroy their tunnels.