war with Hamas started three months ago.

It's# part of a long regional tour that has Blinken## walking an increasingly narrow diplomatic line,# as he tries to keep the conflict from spreading.

William Brangham reports.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: When he arrived in Israel,## the secretary of state bore a sm East are demanding an end to the fighting in# Gaza and a clearer focus on what comes next.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. Secretary# of State: I have just come from,## a number of countries in the Sa udi Arabia, and I want to be able to share# some of what I heard from those leaders with## the president, as well as with the prime# minister and the Cabinet later today.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: But in Tel Aviv, Israeli# leaders aren't ready to listen De fense secretary Yoav Gallant told Blinken# that while military strategies in the north of## Gaza have shifted, operations in the south and# center of the strip will intensify.

Displaced## Gazans in Khan Yunis, desperate to escape the# fighting, sent a plea to Blinken for help.

ENAAM IBRAHIM HIJAZI, Displaced Palestinian# (through translator): My message to the U.S.## secretary of state even if to a tent.

It's better than here.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Blinken received promises from# Middle E but only if an eventual Palestinian# state can exist alongside Israel,## something Prime Minister Netanyahu# has said he will not allow.

ANTONY BLINKEN: Israel must be# -- must stop taking steps that## undercut Palestinians' ability to govern# violence carried out with impunity,# settlement expansion, demolition,## evictions all make it harder, not easier, for# Israel to achieve lasting peace WI LLIAM BRANGHAM: Defending Israel# to the global community has become## an increasingly lonely position for the# U.S. Today, the U.K.'s for David Cameron, said Israel might# have committed war crimes in Gaza.

DAVID CAMERON, British Foreign# Secretary: If you're asking,## am this particular premises has been bombed or# whatever, yes, of course, I'm worried about## that.

And that's why I consult the Foreign Office# lawyers when giving this advice on arms ex WILLIAM BRANGHAM: As Israel continues# its assault on Southern and Central Gaza,## Palestinians seeking shelter# have nowhere left to go.

ABU YOUSSEF ABUEL-SOUD, Displaced Palestinian# (through translator): This is the fourth time## I have dismantled the te children and my grandchildren.

We are# leaving.

We do not know what awaits us.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: As fuel supplies dwindle, donkey## carts have become one of the only ways Gazans# On a bench outside Central# Gaza's Al-Aqsa Hospital,## this aunt grieved the death of her 2-year-old# nephew, Ahmad Issa Shahin (ph).

The li boy was brought lifeless to the hospital.# The rest of her family's fate is unknown.

SUHAD, Displaced Palestinian (through translator):# I don't know if my sister, or her children or my## if my father is coming.

I'm waiting for them, but# DR .

JAMAAL NAIM, Lost Family in Airstrike# (through translator): We found only some## skin from my d We didn't find anything else.

May God# rest her soul.

She was a top WI LLIAM BRANGHAM: Dr. Jamaal Naim carried the# remains of his dead daughter here.

He's lost three## children, three grandchildren, and his mother, all# killed in their sleep when their home was bombed.

DR JAMAAL NAIM (through translator): We have# no one except Allah.

On the day of judgment,## we're going to hold the Israelis to account,## the Arabs and all the Muslims in front of# God, a WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Nearby, another# burial for another child.

Dr.## Mohammad Abu Jayyab's sister's home# was bombed, killing her 3-year-old son.

MOHAMMAD ABU JAYYAB, Displaced Palestinian# (through translator): They say leave midtown## and go to Deir.

Th People don't know where to go and what to do.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: "Hand him to me, I# won't cry," his sister promised.

But## no amount of kisses are enough# for a mother's final farewell.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm William Brangham.