The Netherlands has called on the European Union to review its partnership with Israel in light of the ongoing blockade of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said Israel's aid blockade breaches democratic principles and human rights.

The European Union is concerned at the planned extension of the operation by Israeli forces in Gaza,” a Commission spokesperson says.

Aid officials have frequently accused Israel of deliberately disregarding the complexity of aid distribution in an environment such as Gaza, laid waste by 19 months of a war that has destroyed much of its infrastructure and displaced almost all of its 2.3 million population several times.