Palestinians huddling under bombardment in Gaza said on Monday they hoped a visit to the region by the U.S. secretary of state would finally deliver a truce, in time to head off a threatened new Israeli assault on the last refuge at the enclave’s edge.

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The U.S. diplomatic push comes at a time when Washington is also trying to prevent further escalation elsewhere in the region, after two days of U.S. air strikes against pro-Iranian armed groups across the Middle East.