The drums of war are pounding on the doorstep of Gaza City. Residents of the largest city in northern Gaza, packed with locals and refugees, fear the hours are ticking down before a looming Israeli offensive.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Gaza city could "turn into Rafah and Beit Hanoun" unless Hamas agrees to Israel's terms.

An Israel Defense Ministry planning committee gave approval Wednesday to a controversial settlement plan that would effectively split the West Bank in two.

The Foreign Ministry "rejects the attempt to impose foreign dictates upon it [Jerusalem]," it said Friday. Foreign ministers from European countries, Australia, and the United Kingdom on Friday condemned Israel's plans to construct a settlement east of Jerusalem,