Conflict rages into fourth month

Diplomats in region in bid to stem Gaza crisis as deaths mount

GAZA/JERUSALEM — Fighting intensified in the Middle East over the weekend as the Gaza conflict entered its fourth month and claimed many more lives even as top US and European diplomats sought ways on Sunday to keep the violence from spreading, with the mounting bloodshed underlining the huge difficulties they faced.

The Israeli army launched on Saturday night airstrikes on the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, causing the deaths of at least 20 people, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on Sunday.

The Israeli military signaled that it has wrapped up major combat in northern Gaza, saying it has completed dismantling Hamas' military infrastructure there, reported The Associated Press.