Hillary Clinton Sent to Middle East

Overnight, President Obama dispatched his Secretary of State to try to promote a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict.  Still no words of criticism for Israel and Clinton will not meet with Hamas, as per usual.  NYT has a wrap here and also covers, down the page, some of the latest deaths in Gaza, including most of another family with young kids.  An attack on a bank--which I guess was about to attack Israel--wounded seven civilians nearby.  Plus: "Among the latest casualties were Akram Marouf, who died in a drone attack in Beit Lahiya; a 15-year-old boy who was hunting birds in an open space in Beit Lahiya when he was struck; and Mahmoud Al Zahar, felled by an airstrike in central Gaza City."

Amira Hass in the Israeli daily Haaretz today:  "Farmers on their way to sell vegetables in the marketplace, vendors of purified drinking water and people who just happened to live too close to the targets of Israeli air strikes were among the 34 Palestinians estimated to have been killed in Israel Defense Forces attacks in the past two days alone. Just six of those casualties have been confirmed as members of militant groups."  Don't miss this new New Yorker post from Gaza.

UPDATE  10 a.m.  Richard Engel of NBC tweets: "four cars hit in Gaza in last hour, more than 10 killed, medical sources. an intensification of Israel strikes."  Mass leafletting from air warns Gazans in some areas to evacuate in advance of major strikes.