As the Israeli Air Force continues its massive bombings against the Islamist Hamas attackers in the Gaza Strip, the acute supply shortage for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have fled to the south is worsening. Egypt’s Rafah border crossing, the only way to bring urgently needed aid into the Israeli-sealed coastal strip, remained closed early Tuesday. Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to prevent a conflagration in the Middle East are in full swing.

The reports on the Middle East conflict in the stern news blog: